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Helping Animals Tell Their Stories – and Ensuring We Listen 

By Jeroen van de Ven, DVM, Vice President, Global Marketing and Technology Solutions

Imagine a world where technology allows farmers and ranchers to know how their animals are feeling, whether showing early signs of potential illness, not eating properly, or exhibiting unusual behaviour. Amazingly, it’s not a world we need to imagine anymore thanks to innovative technology that allows animals to tell us their stories. It’s what makes the animal health industry so exciting – our company’s connected technology is helping identify, monitor and track millions of animals across our Livestock and Companion Animal portfolios.  

Now, we can listen to what they’re telling us and unlock key insights that drive operational efficiency, ensure animal welfare so that together we can support a healthier, more sustainable food value chain.

Many farmers and ranchers go above and beyond to take care of their animals, but it is often difficult to know how animals were feeling. With today’s technology, we have tools that make it easier for them to provide that deep level of care, like identifying a single animal with signs of potential illness that can be removed, evaluated, and if necessary, treated before any illness overtakes an entire herd or tracking and monitoring animals from pasture to pasture to set virtual fence lines. Now monitoring and identification technologies can help them tell which animals need attention to ensure their welfare or allowing more rotational grazing which lessens the need for interior fencing and easing cattle management.  Impact Report.  

Taking care of animals is always the priority. But there are additional benefits to today’s tools. For example, farmers and ranchers can provide digital evidence that their animals live at the highest welfare standards. In addition, they  can showcase their sustainable farming practices and environmental stewardship as part of the supply chain. The intelligence they gain helps meet the growing consumer demand for food traceability and safety. 

Technology helps producers collect actionable data, the sort of insights that benefit animals as well. But technology has its own learning curve, which is why it is important to focus on ensuring its adoption, too. It is important to continually listen to the needs of farmers and ranchers, to make their lives easier and empower them with data insights that improve animal health and welfare.   

Some people are sceptical of new technology. As a veterinarian who has walked through many cattle, poultry and swine farms, I know the power of technology can be daunting. It’s my job to show them how they can easily use these innovations to reduce resources, enhance sustainability and create efficiencies. That often means a personalized approach, one that more and more farmers and ranchers are discovering helps them gain necessary and actionable intelligence on their animals’ welfare. 

Digital solutions give animals voices and the ability for animals to speak about their needs to producers. The world of animal care is changing. Farmers and ranchers are adapting. They are using technology to know what their animals are saying. 

As a leading biopharmaceuticals and technology solutions company, we are proudly helping to shape the industry’s future. We can multiply our impact on our industry as we collaborate with farmers, veterinarians, producers and retailers, to find new ways to use novel health solutions in creating a sustainable food supply.