A recent demonstration Farm Open Day, held on 26th July at Tullamore, Co Offaly, was attended by over 2,500 beef and sheep farmers from across Ireland seeking updates on practical on-farm technologies to boost the resilience and sustainability of their farms. The event, organised by the Irish Farmers Journal, showcased the best on-farm technologies available to Irish beef and lamb producers.

At the event, Kevin Kinsella, BovINE’s Network Manager for Ireland, explained how the BovINE Network of beef farmers, researchers, advisers and veterinarians have created and populated the project’s BovINE Knowledge Hub, containing over 380 practical technologies and methods to drive sustainability.

Kevin Kinsella says: “It was evident when speaking to farmers that there was a great interest in having access to freely available knowledge, the core aim and purpose of the BovINE Knowledge Hub.”

Richard Lynch, BovINE project manager, presented to the beef farmers attending solutions addressing the key issues of socio-economic resilience, animal health and welfare, production efficiency and environmental sustainability.

“Speaking with beef farmers,” says Richard Lynch, “it is clear that this community are seeking solutions to improve everyday farm operations which will not only ensure their economic viability but also drive environmental sustainability.’

BovINE innovative technologies validated across Europe discussed and presented at the event were

• Virtual fencing to manage beef cattle in Spain

• Automated weighing systems for cattle from Belgium and Italy

• Oestrus detection in suckler cows using automated on farm tools in Ireland

• Using a rice pelvimeter to determine calving difficulty

All attendees were provided with details on how to freely access the BovINE Knowledge Hub, the online repository of where BovINE innovations, technologies, good practices and reports are housed.