To improve traceability in the UK pork supply chain and support high welfare pig production, MSD Animal Health UK is launching LeeO Precision Farming B.V. (LeeO), an innovative, real-time monitoring system, at The British Pig & Poultry Fair (15-16 May 2024).

LeeO technology, which originates from the Netherlands, enables producers to efficiently collect data about individual pigs across entire herds, and monitor their performance from birth to slaughter.

Ingrid Potter, key account manager at MSD Animal Health UK, explains 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,” said Potter.

“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," she said.

Potter said these insights can allow farmers to produce the highest quality pork that meets the most stringent regulations across the UK supply chain.

“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 said.

“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," Potter added.

"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," she said. “The technology is simple to implement, and farmers will have our full support throughout the process, during set-up and beyond."

Potter explained MSD Animal Health UK 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," Potter said.

Wilson highlighted the benefits he has seen so far through use of the LeeO system.

“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,” he said.