The new patented biosecurity systems were recently introduced to the British Egg Industry Council and other UK farming organizations by inventors Tim Nelson and Joel Sotomayor. The pair will also soon present the systems - called Be Seen, Be Safe and Farm Health Monitor - to the chief veterinary officers for England, Scotland and Wales.
Be Seen, Be Safe (BSBS) involves cataloging only the on-farm visits of those who regularly visit farms, using an encrypted smartphone app, patented analytic software and GPS technology called geo-fencing.
Nelson says in a disease outbreak, the system analyzes the database of farm visits starting with a specific flagged farm. Disease spread is mapped and extrapolated in real time, using factors such as wind speed and direction. Farmers and industry personnel who often visit farms receive immediate notifications by text message so they can implement quarantine and other enhanced biosecurity measures.
BSBS was rolled out in Ontario over the last few months, with over 800 geo-fenced farms and more than 1,200 people and vehicles involved. Nelson says every member of the Egg Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission and the Turkey Farmers of Ontario are participating.
Like BSBS, Farm Health Monitor (FHM) also features a secure smartphone app, but Nelson explains that it focuses on better management of production-limiting diseases.
If a farmer or veterinarian notices disease symptoms, they can instantly upload that information (with the ability to upload pictures and a short video to be added) to the app. Should similar information be reported on two or more farms within a region, FHM sends a blanket warning out across the area, prompting farmers to check flocks or herds carefully, take samples for diagnosis and report as needed.
Source: MeatBusiness