Veterix: Making Healthier, Happier and More Humane Meat Farms
by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 01. 8.07
How much is your meat worth? Well, better, healthier and antibiotic-free meat may become more mainstream with the help of an Israeli technology company Veterix. The company has developed an electronic capsule equipped with physiological and GPS sensors that sits in a cow’s stomach and reports back to the farmer real-time about the health of individuals in the herd. Currently in traditional farming practices, an entire herd can be injected with antibiotics if the farmer suspects an illness developing in as few as one cow in the herd. The tool is expected to also benefit cattle- the farmer can quickly respond to threatened or distressed animals and deliver customized medical treatment if an illness or problem persists. The company told TreeHugger that even a barking dog or isolation from the herd can be a very stressful experience for a cow. Farmers will never have to wait for the cows to come home again!
An e-capsule prototype is now being tested on a herd of cattle in Israel reports Israel21c and will be released first in the United States, home to 100 million head of cattle. Coupled with a sophisticated monitoring station, the e-capsule will wirelessly relay more than basic physiological parameters back to the farm. The tool can also help farmers feed and water the animals at optimal times and tell when an animal is ready to mate. Veterix hopes that consumers will drive the use of technology in farms (cost will be about $75 per cow) by buying meat stamped with Veterix or similar symbol- much in the same way people buy FSC-certified or bio-organic products. ::Israel21c
