Liane Hart, CEO and Co-Founder of Verility, explains how Fertile-Eyez is providing accurate breeding recommendations, reducing costs, and increasing profitability through improved sow fertility management.
Traditional methods for tracking sow ovulation in the swine breeding industry face high costs and inefficiencies. Introducing Fertile-Eyez™, the first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobile software designed to enhance sow breeding practices. This innovative solution provides precise breeding recommendations and boosts breeders’ profitability.
Recent studies involving a 400-sow evaluation across two farms show that Fertile-Eyez delivers comparable or better results with fewer inseminations. By utilising this technology, producers can reduce semen doses and labour, increasing returns on investment with a proven 1.6 times ROI. Fertile-Eyez transforms sow fertility management, optimising processes and improving outcomes.
To discuss the details and potential of this technology, Liane Hart, CEO and Co-Founder of Verility, tells us more.
Why is innovation in the animal reproductive sector so important today?
Global animal production is undergoing significant growth and transformation, driven by an increasing demand for meat protein projected to rise by over 70% by 2050. This challenge heavily impacts livestock producers and breeders, as pregnancy rates are highly correlated with producer profitability and food sustainability.
Unfortunately, achieving successful pregnancies remains a considerable hurdle, with failure rates reaching up to 50%, depending on the species. This leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity and revenue, as well as a notable reduction in the availability of meat protein in our food supply. The difficulties in assessing sperm quality and ovulation, particularly on farms, highlight the inadequacy of current methods.
Consequently, the processes in place, especially regarding ovulation detection, are outdated and ineffective, creating an urgent need for improvement in reproductive technologies for livestock.
What are the main challenges facing animal reproduction and breeding?
New technologies today necessitate a considerable amount of skilled labour, and often fall short in terms of accuracy, leading to increased costs associated with multiple inseminations and doses of semen. This not only elevates expenses but also requires more time and labour, ultimately resulting in a diminished Sustainability Index related to labour, genetics, feed, and waste. Additionally, there have been no significant disruptions in this category for over 25 years.
Can you tell us about Verility and its flagship technology, FERTILE-EYEZ? How was it developed?
Verility is revolutionising livestock reproduction with a low-cost, mobile fertility diagnostic that delivers lab-grade accuracy directly on the farm, addressing the billions lost annually by livestock producers due to missed breeding windows.
Our innovative AI-driven platform, Fertile-Eyez, enables real-time detection of optimal breeding windows, reducing failed inseminations, cutting costs, and enhancing herd productivity. This plug-and-play device is scalable across species and designed for on-farm use, providing a snapshot of fertility that combines the capabilities of a skilled lab technician and a digital microscope in the palm of your hand.
Initially launching in the US Swine Ovulation Detection Market, Fertile-Eyez has proven to improve conception rates and genetic indexes while delivering significant cost savings in sperm doses and labour. Breeders can inseminate fewer times and still achieve comparable reproductive performance to traditional methods.
The technology has demonstrated effective results in swine, validating its model for semen analysis in boars and equivalently enhancing sow reproductive performance; it reduces the need for 40% fewer semen doses, 45% fewer boar and heat tests, and offers a pregnancy rate of 38% in non-standing heat sows.
Additionally, it achieves a 91% overall conception rate while accelerating genetic improvement and decreasing reliance on skilled heat checkers, all without hormonal interventions, leading to a smarter and more sustainable approach to animal breeding.
What are the key features of the technology, and what makes it unique?
We have developed a highly accurate model that ensures reliable performance, appealing to users who prioritise precision. The device is designed to be mobile and fast, allowing for seamless integration into various environments and uses. We understand the importance of affordability, which is why we have worked diligently to keep our product accessible without compromising on quality.
Furthermore, we ensure that producers can achieve profitability, creating a win-win situation for all parties involved. This blend of accuracy, mobility, speed, affordability, and profitability is truly the secret that drives our innovation and success.
What are Verility’s plans at present and for the near future?
We have initiated a Pioneer Launch Program (Customer Phased Rollout) that will allow us to build confidence in every step and show real proof. This rollout is designed to respect our customers’ business and priorities, ensuring that we deliver thoughtful innovation in a careful manner, built with and around the customer.
In parallel, we are actively campaigning for funding as we work towards closing a Series B round this summer for $12m. This funding will enable us to reach full commercial launch and achieve positive cash flow, while also kick-starting our expansion into new species and geographical markets.
Testimonials:
“There is currently nothing in the literature that demonstrates a 1X AI is better than a 2X AI. This is the closest set of results that we have ever seen where control hasn’t won…”
– Kara Stewart, Smithfiled Foods, Director of Boar Production
“… benefit is that it is a diagnostic that works with the biology of the animal and not a hormone that is used to try and force ovulation.”
– Amanda Minton, Acufast, Manager of Reproductive Solutions
“… impressive… I like that the protocol is customisable by farm/sow.”
– Kilby Willenburg, Acufast, Swine Reproduction Specialist
“These are very good results… improves the genetic value of the weaned pig… now able to estimate the time of ovulation which has never been done before.”
– Dr Allan Schinckel, Purdue University (Full Prof), Swine Breeding & Genetics
Please note, this article will also appear in our Animal Health Special Focus publication.
