SCHOOL EDITION 15 MAY 2024 - Flipbook - Page 26
26
NEWS
FARMWEEK
OCTOBER 28 2021
New appointments to
MSD Animal Health
Livestock Intelligence
A
LLFLEX
Livestock
Intelligence
is
the
world leader in the
design,
development,
manufacturing
and
delivery of solutions for animal
identification, monitoring and
traceability.
Their data-driven solutions are
used by farmers, companies and
countries to manage hundreds
of millions of animals worldwide.
By putting intelligent, actionable
management information into
farmers’ hands, our solutions
empower them to act in a timely
manner
to
safeguard
their
animals’ health and wellbeing,
while
achieving
optimal
production outcomes for a healthy
food supply. Allflex Livestock
Intelligence is a livestock portfolio
of digital products within MSD
Animal Health.
MSD’s
Allflex
Livestock
Intelligence Division will be
headed up by Dr William Minchin,
Director of MSD Animal’s Health’s
Ruminant Business Unit. With
excellent technical skills and
in-depth
market
knowledge,
William is passionate about using
technology to improve on farm
decision making, animal welfare
and productivity and sees a great
opportunity to grow Allflex in
Ireland.
We warmly
welcome our new
team members,
who have already
hit the ground
running during a
very busy period.
We are confident
that the team will
be instrumental
in cementing the
Allflex position
as a leader in
identification
and monitoring
technology in
Ireland
Dr William Minchin, MSD
“The appointments to our Allflex
team reflect MSD’s commitment
to grow its digital capabilities
and help farmers transform their
businesses with industry leading
technology
and
data-driven
decision making,” said William.
“Allflex
provides
intelligent,
actionable
management
information
to
farmers,
empowering them to act in a timely
manner to safeguard animal health
and wellbeing, while achieving
efficiency
and
productivity
improvements on farm.
“This is an exciting sector to
be in, and we are delighted to
have such a highly experienced
and ambitious team on board to
help us drive awareness of the
wide-ranging benefits of Allflex.
Technology has a key role to play
in ensuring healthier animals and
a more sustainable and profitable
future for farmers.
“We warmly welcome our new
team members, who have already
hit the ground running during a
very busy period. We are confident
that the team will be instrumental
in cementing the Allflex position
as a leader in identification and
monitoring technology in Ireland.”
Allflex currently supplies over
500 million tags for identifying,
tracking and monitoring animals
worldwide
every
year
and
monitors over 8 million cows daily.
The newly appointed team in the
Republic of Ireland and Northern
Ireland spans sales, technical,
customer support and marketing
roles and will be responsible for
growing and supporting the MSD
Animal Health Intelligence division
that includes the Allflex and Saber
brands.
NEW APPOINTMENTS
JOHN GRAHAM – CUSTOMER AND
TECHNICAL SUPPORT MANAGER
(NORTHERN IRELAND)
FROM Seskinore in Co.Tyrone,
John has solid experience in the
field of agricultural technology
and excellent customer service
skills. Before joining Allflex, he
held customer facing roles with
National Milk Records, providing
customer support and training on
various technologies including
heat detection monitoring systems.
He also has experience of working
for an animal feed company.
John holds a degree in
Agricultural Technology from
Queens
University
Belfast/
Greenmount Agricultural College.
His new role at MSD Animal Health
Livestock Intelligence will see him
advise and support customers on
how to get the best from the Allflex
system, using the data it provides
to improve farm management
decision making.
CHRIS KEYS – SALES REPRESENTATIVE
(NORTHERN IRELAND)
CHRIS has worked with Allflex
Livestock Intelligence for the last
four years, responsible for building
a distribution and installation
network, and providing customer
support, and now joins the
Livestock Intelligence team under
MSD Animal Health as Sales
Representative
for
Northern
Ireland.
Prior to joining Allflex he worked
for National Milk Records (NMR)
for 14 years, managing the NI
and Scottish business for the
organisation.
He holds a Higher National
n Chris Keys, Sales Representative (Northern Ireland).
n John Graham, Customer and
Technical Support Manager
(Northern Ireland).
Diploma (HND) in Agriculture
specialising in dairy production
from Greenmount Agricultural
College.
Chris is based outside Armagh
where he runs a dairy farm in
partnership with his father.
He has excellent relationship
building,
technical
and
communication skills, as well as
a solid understanding of livestock
health and breeding. His new
role will see him further expand
awareness of Allflex and the
productivity, health and efficiency
benefits offered by the monitoring
system.
Other appointments include:
John Heslin - Market Access
and Marketing Manager, Ireland
Stephen Fagan - Product and
Customer Services Manager,
Ireland
Michelle Crowley – Sales
Representative (South West)
Catherine Heffernan - Customer
and Technical Support Manager
(Ireland South)
Shane Nolan – Customer and
Technical Support Manager
(Midlands)
Christy McGuirk - Sales
Representative (North West and
Midlands)
Niall Brennan – Sales
Representative (South East)
NSA says public
trust in British
food must not
be undermined
TRUST in British food must not be
undermined by the Government and
policymakers in reaching trade deals
and net zero obligations.
That is the message from the National
Sheep Association (NSA), which urges
Ministers to fulfil their commitments
to ensure the Trade and Agriculture
Commission (TAC) is in place in time
to properly scrutinise the UK/Australia
trade deal.
Disruption caused by Brexit and
Covid-19 has resulted in more of the
British public valuing what they are
eating, where it has come from and
the conditions under which it has been
produced.
NSA says this presents an opportunity
to build on the support of the British
public for good animal welfare and
environmental practice as well as
supporting British businesses, rather
than undermining it.
Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive,
said: “While much of COP26 will
headline on global warming and nature
recovery, NSA has consistently said the
sustainability of the planet needs to be
measured on a far wider set of metrics.
We have to work harder to consider
the interrelation and trade-offs of
everything we do.
“For example, it is easy to say let’s
stop eating meat and wind down the
UK’s livestock industry, but do we really
know what impact that would have on
peoples’ long term health?
“Do we know what impact a massive
increase in the production of protein
crops would have on land-use across the
world? Or how the loss of grasslands in
the UK would affect our wildlife?
“Britain cannot adopt demanding
standards for environmental protection
and animal welfare but simply allow
food to be imported that doesn’t meet
our exacting standards, as then, on a
global scale, we achieve nothing. Things
may look fine within our horizons, but
how about beyond them? Out of sight
out of mind?”
It is therefore fundamental, NSA
maintains, for the UK Government
to show consistency in its approach
to managing climate change, food
security, agricultural sustainability and
international trade negotiations.
It is important for the British public’s
confidence to be preserved and, as
new policies and support systems are
introduced, ensure farmers are not
left to make a choice determined by
financial solidity versus maintaining
high standards.
Mr Stocker continues: “This is why the
Trade and Agriculture Commission is
so important. We can only be a world
leader in raising standards, crucial
if we are to meet COP26 interests, if
we negatively affect things across the
globe.
“I could argue that we are probably
beyond the point where the trade
deal with Australia can be affected
by Parliament or the TAC. But it can
never be too late and, while we have
had no action to date on the TAC, it
would send out a reassuring message
to announce its existence before COP26
gets underway.”
The initial fixed-term TAC delivered its
report in March 2021 and one of the five
key recommendations it made was for
the UK Government to develop effective
approaches to scrutiny and analysis
of FTAs, and the need to balance
opportunities with not undermining
the UK’s world leading environmental
and animal welfare standards – but that
was six months ago now.
