Description
The aim of this SEFARI Spark/Think Tank project, designed to scope current topical issues, was to identify research priority areas for agri-tech use in beef and sheep livestock production systems, where uptake is currently limited. A survey was developed to capture this information, and was distributed between June and August 2020. Opinions on limitations and barriers to uptake were collected. In total, there were 71 responses from a range of respondents including farmers, crofters, consultants, farm advisors, veterinarians and academics/researchers.
A follow-on virtual workshop was hosted to discuss views on priority areas and barriers to uptake. Many respondents to the survey had prior experience with the use of agri-tech, mainly its use for liveweight and growth in beef systems and electronic animal identification in sheep systems. The cost of systems was the main barrier to uptake in both beef and sheep systems, however, this is possibly coupled with a lack of understanding of the potential return of investment. Other limitations/barriers included internet connectivity requirements in remote regions, and not understanding the benefits or how to fully use the system. Animal health was identified as the main research priority area for both beef and sheep production systems. However, further work is needed to identify exactly which health issues require investigation. Other priority areas identified included liveweight and growth, nutrition, electronic identification (EID) for management (sheep) and fertility/oestrus (beef). It was clear from the survey responses and the subsequent workshop that there are often too many data streams and a single system that integrates outputs into a simple format is lacking.
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