Leaders of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) have called for greater awareness of new technology available to help farms maximise margins, uphold the UK’s reputation for quality and safe produce, and reduce carbon emissions.
Commenting at the launch of AgriWebb’s new individual animal insights software, Philip Hambling, Head of Food and Farming at the NFU, and John Royle, NFU Chief Livestock Adviser, highlighted that now is the right time for farmers to review the latest cost-effective tools available to help farmers prosper in increasingly tough conditions.
“We have a perfect storm,” said Philip Hambling.
“The pressures of a recession, ongoing Covid-19 risk and restrictions, a looming international trade headache, a volatile funding landscape requiring greater farm independence, not to mention the immediate need to accelerate reduction of our industry’s carbon footprint.
Controlling everything you can on farm – particularly through acting on insights from your data – is a must.
John Royle, who recently championed an embrace of technology, added:
“Farm management technology has come into an exciting new age in the past 12 months with fresh players emerging.
“Not only are technologies that help you to build your business getting better and better, there is a growing supply chain requirement.
Customers are asking for more information about their meat, and increasingly, the environmental sustainability of production.
“Tracking the heritage, feed and treatments of animals over their lifetime is imperative in proving the responsibility taken in rearing British produce and in pursuit of improved efficiency.
“Our recent assessment of the top five areas of productivity highlighted the opportunity to use technology.
“It recommended collecting key farm management data to report on, conducting farm carbon audits, and tracking better health and genetics,” Royle concluded.
