Will Donegal farmers take their stock to the new digital market?

 

Farming in Donegal is already witnessing the use of modern technology for higher productivity and profitability. Today, farmers use digital tools for farm management, financial services, market services, information and much else.

Now according to a  leading farm software company, they are expected to trade 10,000 farm animals over the next three years using a free online trading platform.

Herdwatch have launched a new commission-free online space for farmers to advertise their animals called Buy & Sell by Herdwatch.

Across the country, farm-to-farm movements of animals have been on the rise over the last 10 years with a 50% increase from 1 million in 2011 to 1.5 million movements in 2021. In the most recent full year on record, there were 39,459 farm-to-farm movements involving Donegal farmers.

That trend will continue as farmers increasingly utilise digital technologies to make their activities more efficient. Over the next three years, Herdwatch is projecting that upwards of 460,000 animals will be sold via their free online service on a countrywide basis.

With farmers already having provided information about their animals on Herdwatch, the Buy & Sell by Herdwatch platform allows them to advertise those animals including verified data. That includes breed, age, movements, weights and more – helping farmers to ensure they receive the best value for their animals.

Farmers are also able to add photos and a video to their free listing. The animals are advertised for sale 24/7, 365 days a year until they are sold, and no commission is charged for animals sold via the platform. 

The trading platform is provided as part of the suite of services available to over 18,000 farmers who are members of Herdwatch, and is also available for free to any farmer who downloads the Herdwatch app.

CEO and co-founder of Herdwatch, Fabien Peyaud said, “The level of farm-to-farm trading is growing all the time and we fully expect to see more livestock in Donegal traded this way using our commission-free platform.

“At Herdwatch our mission is to help make life easier for farmers. We are committed to using modern technology to simplify farming life and reduce the workload facing farmers in Donegal and around the country. That is why we continue to invest in improving our service and in upgrading the app to meet the growing needs of farmers.

“Trading livestock is an important part of modern farming life and that is why we felt adding this online trading service was a no-brainer. In the short time it has been live we are already seeing it gain significant traction as farmers look to advertise their animals to our 18,000+ Herdwatch members. We’ve been getting very positive feedback from buyers and sellers.

“We know the buying and selling of livestock can be a time-consuming activity for farmers, and now farmers can do that without even leaving the Herdwatch app. Ultimately this is about saving farmers time and we hope they will find this latest service a further benefit of Herdwatch,” said Mr Peyaud.

Buy & Sell listings can be viewed by visiting buyandsell.herdwatch.com or by downloading the Herdwatch app from the App Store.