The British Farming Awards took place last week (16 October) at The Vox in Birmingham and the UK Agri-Tech Centre was honoured to present the award for Agri-Tech Innovator of the year.
Each year the British Farming Awards, hosted by the Farmers Guardian and sponsored by Morrisons, celebrates the achievements of farmers and industry professionals from across the UK.
The event is in its 13th year and celebrates pioneering farmers from all sectors who are leading in areas of science, technology, food production and sustainability.
Celebrating the heart of British agriculture, individuals were awarded for a variety of different categories, including running their own farm enterprise with multiple staff, a new entrant securing their own land or tenancy and innovator of the year, to name a few.
Taking us on a journey of their success, Herdwatch, winners of the Agri-Tech Innovator of the Year, are deeply involved in agriculture—pioneering innovative solutions to streamline livestock management.
Their award celebrates ‘Herd Intelligence’—embodied by its in-app assistant ‘Herdi by Herdwatch’—which combines deep farming know-how and local context with advanced AI to give farmers instant, trustworthy answers tailored to their own herds, directly through the Herdwatch app.
It’s a software-as-a-service platform used by 22,000 farmers across Ireland, the UK and America.
Farmers can manage their herd or flock using mobile devices anywhere and at any time, enabling them to make informed management decisions with the data.
Since the infancy of the business, Herdwatch’s team has grown exponentially, which contributes to the success it is today and sees the team based at a state-of-the-art facility in the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s Midlands Hub in Newport.
Fabien Peyaud, the Founder and CEO of Herdwatch, started out in an IT business and was given the opportunity to trial his bold ideas with the support of his CEO before creating his own company.
Initially, Fabien was balancing two jobs while Herdwatch developed, working evenings and weekends to progress the company.
After seeking out partners to help develop and grow his brainchild, Herdwatch was able to increase the productivity for farmers using the app, reportedly saving them approximately three hours per week in valuable time.
James Greevy, Director of Product at Herdwatch, said: “The goal is to make complex farm data useful in real time. Farmers are drowning in data spread across too many places.
“Herd Intelligence brings it together—herd records, breeding information, compliance—and gives one clear answer a farmer can act on immediately.
“It is like having a farm manager, who is an expert in all of this plus knows everything about your herd.”
Pat Bolger, Director of Technology at Herdwatch, highlighted privacy and trust as core design principles.
Pat said: “Your farm data never leaves your account.
“Herd Intelligence doesn’t share it, store it or learn from it—it’s private advice, built for you alone.”
Helen Brookes, Engagement Director at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, presented Herdwatch with their award at the event. She said: “The British Farming Awards was a fantastic event to celebrate the best of British agriculture and the essential role each business who attended plays.
“The competition was close, but it was a privilege to support the event by announcing Herdwatch as the winner of the Agri-Tech Innovator of the Year.
“We have witnessed Herdwatch’s business journey as they have grown within the hub and look forward to seeing what’s next for them.”
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