The most innovative Irish agri-tech and agri-engineering products have been named by Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy and National Ploughing Association Managing Director Anna May McHugh, who presented the 2022 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards at an international networking event earlier this week, to coincide with the National Ploughing Championships.
The awards recognise innovative agri-tech and agri-engineering capabilities and new product development in the agriculture sector. This year, there was a strong focus on efficiency, combined with food security and the fight against climate change.
The overall winner was Co Kildare-based manufacturer of milking parlours and robotic systems, Pearson Milking Technology. Their latest invention - ‘Bullseye’- provides real-time Body Condition Scoring (BCS) of dairy cattle, based on an automated visual inspection of the fat around the pin bones of the cow. This is vital to optimise milk production. The ‘Bullseye’ invention drives innovation through automation, frees up farm resources, improves overall outputs and increases efficiencies.
The best overall start-up award went to Micron Agritech for their new invention - ‘the Rapid Liver Fluke Test’ – which allows farmers to easily test livestock for liver fluke on-site through its ‘Micron Kit’ app, with results delivered in minutes using AI analysis, providing an efficient, reliable solution to an issue which often goes undetected.
After being held virtually for two years, the ‘Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards’ live event returned to the National Ploughing Championship for 2022. 60 Irish agri-companies, over 100 buyers and international media from 19 countries attended. The total prize fund for this year’s award winners was in excess of €25,000, including two top prizes of €5,000 for the Established Company ‘Innovator of the Year Award’ and the Start-up Company ‘Innovator of the Year Award’ for 2022.
Announcing the award winners at the international networking event in the Innovation Arena, Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy said:
“A strong farming heritage and cutting-edge technologies have made Ireland a global centre for agri-tech quality and innovation. By focusing on greater efficiency across every aspect of modern agriculture, Irish agri-tech businesses are delivering forward-thinking solutions to address some of the industry’s greatest challenges and changing demands. The positive impacts that these solutions will have on future global agriculture, particularly in relation to environmental, sustainability and digitalisation, are inspiring.
National Ploughing Association Managing Director, Anna May McHugh, said:
“Congratulations to all of the Innovation Arena Award winners and particularly Pearson Milking Technology as the overall winner this year. This is a remarkable achievement given the high standard and calibre of entries being showcased this year. We’re delighted to collaborate once again with Enterprise Ireland on the Innovation Arena at the National Ploughing Championships, which provides an excellent opportunity for budding entrepreneurs and innovators in the agri-tech and agri-engineering space to showcase their product at Europe’s largest outdoor event.”
Further information and a full list of winners can be found here.
Listen in to Farmview on WLR's Farmview this week for more on the National Ploughing Championships.
