A new mobile app has been designed to allow beef farmers to update their vets with livestock health information direct from the field.
The Herd Health Planning app can also be used to update cattle records such as births, deaths and movements as it is connected to the British Cattle Movement Service’s tracing system (BCMS).
And in places where there is no internet connection the data is stored on the app and sent to both BCMS and Scotland’s Animal Health Planning System (SAHPS) as soon as Wi-Fi or mobile data is available.
The app, which was created by the veterinary services team at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) , and which is now downloadable for Android and Apple devices was funded by the Scottish Government and is free for farmers who are registered to SAHPS. Others can subscribe to the app for a small fee.
SRUC’s animal health planning development manager, Dr Foteini Manolaraki acknowledged that time is a precious commodity for farmers.
“Rather than taking notes while out in the field or in the shed and then copying them into the computer, this new app allows them to share their cattle data with their vet while on the move,” she said.
“This information is then shared multiple times via BCMS and SAHPS software, which could allow earlier vet intervention if necessary.”
Among its uses the app allows farmers to record bulls in / out dates, record animal treatments, download all cattle on the holding through BCMS, record disease incidents and production data .
The app includes an e-medicine book which complies with farm assurances and other statutory requirements.
To sign up to the app, visit: www.sahps.co.uk