Firmon British Farming Awards shortlist

A West Sussex company has been shortlisted in the British Farming Awards.

Breedr is a free data platform which helps UK cattle farmers improve efficiency through data collection and analysis.

It was shortlisted in the Agri-Tech Innovator category in this year’s awards. The category celebrates the accelerated growth of a sector which is providing a wealth of new support and expertise to farming practices.

Ian Wheal, Breedr chief executive and founder, said: “I grew up on a farm in Australia and the idea for Breedr came about through seeing all of the data collected on our family’s farms for others in the supply chain, but which wasn’t generating any value for us as farmers.

“I wanted to make it easier to collect and actually use that data for the farmer’s benefit.

“I’ve got a technology background so I worked on a mobile app which links the supply chain together, as well as linking to other technology on the farm like weigh scales.

“We now have a network of over 3,000 forward-thinking farmers and we’re working together to continually develop the app and add extra value.

“Our members are seeing 1020% efficiency improvements as a result, and it’s all credit to their adoption of Breedr that we’ve been shortlisted for this award.”

Breedr user and firstgeneration farmer Tom Addison built his calf-rearing business from scratch, said: “The free Breedr app has helped me boost productivity. By knowing the precise growth rates of cattle we’ve begun to make more informed, databacked decisions.”

Back for its ninth year, the British Farming Awards is hosted by AgriBriefing, the parent company of Farmers Guardian, Arable Farming and Dairy Farmer, and is supported by Morrisons.

The awards celebrate the diversity, innovation and adaptability of farmers across all sectors.

“The British Farming Awards is a brilliant initiative that we’ve followed with interest for years so we’re delighted to be shortlisted,” Mr Wheal said.

“We’re especially thankful to the thousands of British farmers who are using our free app and are really driving the shift toward precision livestock in this country, ready to meet the environmental and commercial challenges that lie ahead.”

Winners will be announced on October 21 at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham. For more details, visit www. britishfarmingawards.co.uk