GEA adds proven AI solution to its portfolio with acquisition of CattleEye

Acquisition underscores GEA's commitment to animal health and welfare as part of its Next Generation Farming strategy

19-Mar-2024
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GEA is acquiring Northern Irish agricultural software company CattleEye Ltd., adding a pioneering artificial intelligence-based system to its existing dairy farm solutions portfolio. The acquisition underlines GEA's strong commitment to improving animal health and welfare. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

GEA

The AI-based solution CattleEye was developed for the early detection of lameness in dairy cows.

CattleEye uses artificial intelligence to detect and predict lameness in cows at an early stage. The system provides relevant data for assessing the physical condition of the animals and thus reveals whether they are eating enough feed and are in good condition, for example. Alongside mastitis, lameness is one of the main diseases affecting dairy cows. It can lead to infertility and affect milk yield. Thanks to the AI-based software, farmers can take immediate action to improve animal welfare and productivity.

CattleEye combines a 2D camera with special software that analyzes the cows' movement patterns and body data. This gives farmers a comprehensive overview of their herd's health. The system can be integrated into new and existing farms, regardless of the type of milking system.

Peter Lauwers, CEO of the GEA Farm Technologies Division: "The trend is towards larger and more automated dairy farms. As a result, solutions for recording and monitoring animals and production are becoming increasingly important. With CattleEye's progressive AI technology, we are expanding our DairyNet portfolio for modern herd management. This enables farmers to achieve significant improvements in herd health, farm productivity and financial stability."

Artificial intelligence in the service of animal health and welfare

CattleEye was founded in 2019 by Terry Canning, son of a dairy farmer and experienced AgTech entrepreneur, and software architect Adam Askew, who brought more than 10 years of experience in deep learning-based image analysis for cancer tumor detection. The system has been on the market since April 2021 and is currently used to monitor over 100,000 cows worldwide.

"CattleEye was born from the idea of using the possibilities of modern AI in video analysis to revolutionize the dairy industry. Following the launch of our partnership last year, we are delighted that GEA now wants to use and further develop this innovative solution with our team to ensure greater animal welfare and positive change in the industry," says CEO and co-founder Terry Canning.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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