Farmers Views Sought On Agri-tech

29th June 2020

Beef and sheep farmers, consultants, vets and researchers are being asked for their views on the use of modern technology.

Information collected in a new survey will be used to identify key areas for the use of agri-tech to improve productivity, efficiency and sustainability in both beef and sheep production systems in Scotland.

Agri-tech includes technology such as electronic ID tags/readers, weigh crates/platforms, feed monitoring systems and animal-mounted sensors.

The data will be used as part of a wider project funded by Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI) to identify research priority areas for the use of agri-tech in Scotland. The project team includes Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), The Moredun Research Institute and Agri-Epi Centre.

SRUC's Jenna Bowen, who is leading the study, said: "The potential benefits of using agri-tech in the beef and sheep sector are far reaching. This survey will help us to understand industry views and experiences with existing systems from participants who use these systems on a regular basis, and help identify where research should be prioritised."

Farmers have the option to fill in the survey anonymously. It closes on 31 August 2020 and can be found at: www.sruc.ac.uk/agritechsurvey