Morrisons launches new farming app
Morrisons has launched a new app for cattle farmers to help them simplify livestock management.
Aimed primarily at beef farmers, the ‘Morrisons Farming App’ includes a live link to the British Cattle Movement Service to enable all cattle data from multiple holdings to be viewed instantly at any time – even when the phone signal is poor.
The free technology also enables the registering of cattle births, deaths and movements as well as allowing farmers to arrange animals by pen or field for easy reference. In addition, farmers can order new and replacement ear tags through the app which can also automatically generate the Food Chain Information Declaration – the information that must be provided by all livestock keepers on the cattle they send for slaughter.
Morrisons claims it is the first supermarket to launch this type of app and said it will help to improve food safety and animal traceability as well as animal breeding and husbandry.
The app will initially be available to download for Android devices but will also be rolled out to Apple devices. In addition, Morrisons is looking to add extra features and extend the app to lamb and pig producers.
Andrew Loftus, Morrisons agriculture manager said: “We want to help ease the burden on farmers by ensuring better information is available at the touch of a button to aid them when making decisions about their businesses.
“The launch of the app builds on the website we’ve also created to provide suppliers of beef, pork and lamb with unrivalled and immediate feedback on their consignments.“ Meurig Raymond, President of the NFU said: “Adopting technology like this new app is key to farming’s future and I’m delighted that Morrisons is making sure that it’s available to all beef producers.”
