Livestock safety

Anthony Lyons will show his pop-on cattle safety device. It prevents cattle from going forward or backwards in a crush.

The handle can be attached to a cattle crush and lifted on or off in seconds. It is height-adjustable and has a padlock for safety and security purposes.

Watch Tag is Herdwatch’s newest innovation.

It is a small device that is easily fitted to an animal’s ID tag or a leg band. It means farmers don’t have to get too close to animals to read tags as the Herdwatch app will display the relevant information.

Slurry safety

Slurry gas can be deadly and has caused the loss of human life and stock on farms.

Canary Smart Farm Technologies aims to develop and commercialise an innovative new agri-tech cloud-based solution. It is built around mobile apps, with self-installable gas monitors that give real-time monitoring of hydrogen sulphide (H2S).

It has audible warning alarms and comes equipped with bluetooth beacons.

The slurry tank boom fill was developed by William Colgan, Colgan Agri, allowing slurry tanks to be filled from the top. This stops farmers and contractors from having to get out of the tractor, reducing the risk of danger. As well as improving safety, the device makes it easier to fill and empty tanks quickly.

Handling bales safely

The Easy Arm, designed by Darragh Egan, Ballyealan Engineering, allows the farmer to collect a bale, as well as lift and move a ring feeder in the field from the tractor, reducing the risk of back injuries. There is a curved piece on the back of the arm to stabilise the ring feeder when it is lifted to make it safe.

Agrispeed has developed a round-bale handler which has a bale clamp to make sure bales do not fall off during transportation. Power-tipping control increases the speed of collecting and tipping of bales and cuts out the use of ropes.

A twin bale carrier designed and developed by JM Agri-Design helps to increase efficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness when moving bales.

Yard safety

Three companies have innovations around yard safety, primarily designed to stop intruders and theft.

The side benefit is notifying farmers when the gate of a field holding livestock is open. This ensures that cattle do not get out on to roads and cause a danger.

The three companies are:

  • Farm Gate/shed monitoring system: this monitoring system is a simple, cost-effective solution for farmers and can help protect livestock and equipment from theft.
  • Remote Signals Ltd has also developed a simple sensor device that is easily attached to any gate or shed door on a farm and the farmer will get a message on his/her phone to alert him/her of an event in the area being monitored. The device can be easily transferred from one location to another when stock are moved.
  • The Hanntec Defender utilises highly effective, externally mounted electronic “dual tech” motion sensors, to detect unauthorised entry into a farmyard. Once detected, the Hanntec defender switches on external sounders and multiple high-power LED floodlights. It then proceeds to alert the farmer of the intrusion via his/her mobile phone.
  • Machinery safety

    Trailer safety

    Tow-M8 is a towing safety tool designed to show wear on tow balls and trailer coupling heads to avoid any risk if they are getting loose. The ring of the Tow-M8 is placed down over the tow ball and if it is worn, the ring will be loose. The circle end of the Tow-M8 is placed up into the coupling head and if wear is present, it will be loose.

    Francis Craughwell with his product Tow-M8. \ Ramona Farrelly

    PTO safety

    Many farmers have had serious injuries, some of which resulted in fatalities, due to PTOs. Safe Shaft Systems Limited hopes to minimise the major risk on farms. It has designed an alternative system for supplying rotational torque to PTO-driven equipment. It retro-fits on to the customer’s existing vacuum tanker or other suitable machinery and utilises the OEM product’s existing gearing system.

    Tractor safety

    Jack Nagle, a 15-year-old entrepreneur, developed the tractor safe lock. It is a device that automatically engages the handbrake in a tractor when the operator leaves the seat.

    As soon as the operator “takes the tractor out of gear”, the device activates through a pressure switch on the seat, pushing up the handbrake to safely stop the tractor from rolling.

    Jack Nagle with his tractor safe lock. \ Ramona Farrelly