MSD Animal Health UK has launched LeeO, its innovative, real-time monitoring system for pigs, in the UK at the British Pig & Poultry Fair (BPPF).
LeeO allows producers to capture and monitor important events in the lifecycle of individual pigs through electronic identification tags.
MSD said the cloud-based system is integrated easily into existing systems. The tracking and monitoring solution works with EID ear tags, readers, scales, and a mobile device to capture the key lifecycle events of individual pigs, so producers can connect and evaluate all stages of the production cycle – from farrow to finish.
Data capture starts with the application of EID ear tags and builds insights into the factors that drive performance at individual, group, and herd level, MSD representatives at a launch event at BPPF said.
It records AI events, pregnancy checks and other key reproduction data, birth weight, weight, parentage, vaccinations, and treatments.
It also tracks movement and transport data and can see the location history of individual pigs, delivering assurances on compliance with transport needs.
MSD said it also captures data at slaughter to support traceability and drive production improvements, providing whole supply chain transparency.
Ingrid Potter, key account manager at MSD Animal Health UK, said the technology will theoretically allow every tagged pig to have a ‘performance’ passport when it arrives at the abattoir.
“Piglets can receive a LeeO ear tag within 24 hours of birth and, from there, have a wide variety of performance metrics tracked throughout their life cycle, including associated sire and dam line, weight, movements, antibiotic use and vaccination history,” she said.
“This allows producers and integrators to gain a better understanding of the health and welfare status of all pigs under their management and, ultimately, enables consumers to be more informed about where their pork comes from and how it’s been produced.”
“The technology is unique because there’s currently no other commercial farm management or software application that can track pig performance, health and welfare in such an effective way and to such granular detail in the UK,” she says.
“The system is cloud-based which means the mobile application can be used in any scenario, even in areas of the farm where signal may be limited, and it can work collaboratively with other farm management systems.
“It also allows producers to create personalised, tailored digital dashboards where they can benchmark and track an array of chosen metrics, with the use of their smartphone, in real-time.
“The technology is simple to implement, and farmers will have our full support throughout the process, during set-up and beyond.”
MSD is advancing the integration of LeeO on UK pig farms this spring. “Our first UK farm trial with Joe Wilson – a forward-thinking Yorkshire farmer – will help us to showcase the working use of the LeeO technology at scale and demonstrate how it can enhance pig production from day one,” she said.
“LeeO takes the guesswork out of herd management. By getting real-time information at our fingertips using the app, it allows us to make informed management decisions and increase farm efficiencies where necessary.”