Merck Animal Health Launches New FALCON® Biomass to Improve Fish Farming Operations
Biomass estimation unit provides key information about average weight, distribution, and growth trends
RAHWAY, N.J., August 21, 2023 – Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), announced today the launch of FALCON® Biomass, a powerful, always-on biomass estimation unit that provides key information about average weight, distribution, and growth trends to improve fish farming operations. Built with more than 15 years of biomass estimation experience, measurements are collected autonomously, with reduced stress and negative impact on fish welfare or feeding because the fish remain in the water.
“With FALCON® Biomass, fish are actively and continually monitored in the pen using stereovision technology.The system captures images in real-time, then reconstructs each fish in the image into 3D to estimate the average weight in the pen,” said Kasha Cox, global aqua commercial leader, Merck Animal Health.
FALCON® Biomass dashboard: Robust data analysis and improved performance
FALCON® Biomass provides insights throughout the fish life cycle for optimized farming operations. A user-friendly dashboard delivers a daily report of continuous measurements on average weight, growth, and size distribution for the population in the pen – all wirelessly transmitted, twenty-four hours a day.
The accessible online reporting enables timely decision making while FALCON® Biomass monitored pens enable optimized harvest planning by selecting the best dates to harvest. Furthermore, the access to key biomass data via a cloud storage system can be used to improve feeding strategies and medication dosing for better efficacy. Merck Animal Health provides access to on-site and technical assistance to ensure best-in-class support.
About Merck Animal Health
At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases.
Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business of Merck. The company’s innovative portfolio includes technology, products and solutions to help, improve or enhance animal management and health outcomes across Livestock and Companion Animal species.
Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, producers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that includes identification, traceability and monitoring products.
Merck Animal Health has a rich history of innovation, commitment to research and entrepreneurship in animal health dating back over 70 years. The company is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. Healthier animals mean a sustainable food supply, protection for humans against diseases passed from animals, and longer, healthier lives for pets. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D and technological resources and a modern, global supply chain. The company is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets.
About Falcon Vision Technology
FALCON® Vision Technology solutions from MSD Animal Health support healthy ecosystems where aquatic species can thrive. FALCON® Vision Technology solutions provide intelligent and actionable snapshots of fish stock to provide users with quick access to data and insights that they need.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).