Athy firm Pearson Milking Technology – a manufacturer of milking parlours and robotic systems – is the overall Innovation Arena Awards winner at the 2022 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards.

From machine learning to on farm automation, the most innovative Irish agri-tech and agri-engineering products were this evening named by Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy and National Ploughing Association Managing Director Anna May McHugh. They presented the awards at an international networking event ahead of the National Ploughing Championships which kick off tomorrow.

Pearson’s new winning invention ‘Bullseye’ provides a real-time Body Condition Scoring (BCS) of dairy cattle which is based on an automated visual inspection of the fat around the pin bones of the cow. Identifying a cow’s BCS during breeding is an important task as it is vital in optimising a farm’s milk production.

The ‘Bullseye’ invention drives innovation through the automation and delivers benefits to farms as it frees up resources, improves overall outputs and increases efficiencies, contributing to sustained food production and addressing the challenge of labour shortages on farms.

This year sees the return of the hugely popular live and interactive Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena at the three-day National Ploughing Championship, which is being held in Ratheniska, Co Laois, from tomorrow (Tuesday) to Thursday.

In association with the National Ploughing Association, Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena will showcase ground-breaking agri-related products and innovations from 60 Irish agri-companies, including the winners of the 2020/21 Innovation Arena Awards. And over 100 buyers and international media from 19 countries will also be attending events at the Innovation Arena throughout the week.

The total prize fund for this year’s award winners is in excess of €25,000, including a 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.

Pearson Milking Technology also won the Farm Automation Award, while Moone firm Terra NutriTECH picked up the Animal Health Award – Established. Terra NutriTECH, a leader in minerals and dispensing systems, has developed the world’s first accurate mobile mineral dispenser, the Orbvie. Simply fill the Orbvie with liquid minerals, connect to the app on your phone, set animal numbers and dose rate, and place it in the animal’s drinking trough. The Orbvie unit will follow the average water consumption pattern, meaning all animals get their minerals. It’s powered by a long-life rechargeable battery and alerts when the unit will be empty, meaning farmers can have confidence their animals are getting the right minerals at the right time.