Livestock monitoring firm to create 20 new jobs in NI with R&D funding

A Northern Irish livestock monitoring company powered by artificial intelligence (AI) has received £339,294 in funding towards a research and development (R&D) project.

CattleEye also plans to create 20 new jobs as part of this project.

This announcement was made today (Tuesday, March 10) by Invest NI, who have provided the financial backing.

The investment will reportedly go towards research into “enhancing the capabilities of CattleEye’s AI livestock system”.

As a subsidiary of GEA Farm Technologies, CattleEye will also “further develop GEA’s digital offering for the dairy farming sector” with this funding.

CattleEye

Founded in 2019, the Belfast-based company offers an AI livestock monitoring service that uses machine learning to monitor cattle without the need for physical devices.

CattleEye stated that its system is currently used in over 140 farms across the UK, Europe, the US and Australia, monitoring over 200,000 cattle across 23 different countries.

Speaking on the investment, CattleEye co-founder Terry Canning noted that the funds will help integrate his company into GEA’s “state-of-the-art herd management systems and to extend the digital footprint in farming”.

Canning said: “These aspired new functionalities mean farmers can expect offerings which help reduce additional investments in equipment that often aren’t accurate and reduce the extent of necessary animal treatment.

“It will also help customers to farm more efficiently and cut greenhouse gas emissions by using automated data.”

Canning added that the 20 new jobs, which will be hired for the R&D project, will improve “efficiencies and the user experience of GEA’s DairyNet App.”

Software engineers and user experience executives are among some of the roles on offer, with CattleEye aiming to fill these positions by January 2027.

Invest NI

Vicky Kell, who is the director of innovation, research and development at Invest NI, said that the agency “worked closely with CattleEye to secure these new jobs for Northern Ireland over other locations”

Kell added that the new jobs will enhance Northern Ireland’s credibility as a hub for agri-tech.

Invest NI stated that £339,294 sum, which is being provided to CattleEye is part funded by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

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