Cargill has invested an undisclosed sum in Cainthus, a Dublin-based ag tech company which uses images to identify individual animals based on hide patterns and facial recognition. The technology is used to track key data such as food and water intake, heat detection and behaviour patterns.

Cargill and Cainthus first intend to focus on the dairy sector, but will expand to other species, including swine, poultry and aqua over the coming months.

'Game changer'

“Cargill is a natural partner for us, given their focus on bringing a world-class digital capability to the market and their understanding of how technology will truly help farmers succeed," said David Hunt, president and co-founder of Cainthus.

"We think this partnership will be a game changer for farmers because it will allow them to efficiently scale their business.”

Over the last year, Cargill has announced several technology investments across the livestock, poultry and aquaculture value chains, including Dairy Enteligen and iQuatic in aquaculture.

Chiefly an agri-food commodities trading firm, Cargill, currently employs 155,000 people in 70 countries around the world.

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