A Co. Kildare agri-tech company has scooped a national award for an invention that provides real-time body condition scoring for dairy cattle.

Pearson Milking Technology, which manufactures milking parlours and robotic systems, has today (Monday, September 19) been named the overall winner of the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards 2022, held in association with the National Ploughing Championships.

Pearson's winning invention - ‘Bullseye’ - aims to promote on-farm efficiency and optimise milk production by carrying out an automated visual inspection of the fat around the pin bones of the cow.

The best overall start-up award went to Micron Agritech which provides rapid on-site parasite testing for grazing animals.

The company’s new invention - ‘the Rapid Liver Fluke Test’ – allows farmers to test livestock for liver fluke on-site through its ‘Micron Kit’ app, with results delivered in minutes using artificial intelligence (AI) analysis.

The full list of award winners were revealed at an international networking event ahead of the National Ploughing Championships kicking off tomorrow:

The total prize fund for this year’s award winners is over €25,000, including two top prizes of €5,000 for the Established Company ‘Innovator of the Year Award’ and the Start-up Company ‘Innovator of the Year Award’ for 2022.