UDA’s and Udders
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- Published: Tuesday, 15 October 2024 10:15
- Written by Peter Ingle
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A check up with patients that seem unable to sit still, and are reluctant to open or close their mouth is difficult enough. Add on staff complaining about the patients that have tracked in mud onto the floor and left reception looking like a farmyard, and things get worse.
The 13th annual Converge Awards, which celebrate Scottish academic innovation may hold out a hope of better days, if you are a farmer.
This is thanks to Edinburgh-based Ovation Agriculture, who convinced the panel that they had the solution to an overlooked aspect of livestock health. They have developed a pioneering dental instrument that allows for the examination of a cow’s mouth and could potentially transform animal welfare and farm productivity.
Ovation Agriculture plan to manufacture their dental gag and develop training resources to improve the way practitioners approach dental health in cattle. Dental disease in cattle causes significant health and welfare concerns, but despite this regular dental health checks are not currently provided for the national herd.
This omission stems from a lack of specialised tools and knowledge, rather than negligence.
The agricultural sector invests millions in improving overall animal health, and welfare, and feed conversion efficiency, but oral health – a crucial starting point for digestion – has received limited attention.
“Cattle chew their food at least twice before they actually start digesting it,” explains Jillian Gordon, founder of Ovation Agriculture. “If they develop abscesses or infections, they’re not able to get the nutrition they need, leading to decreased production, potential infertility, and weight loss."
Her interest in the dental health of cows is not new. As a student at the University of Edinburgh, she was awarded a student grant for a project on the “relationship between grimace expressions of dairy cattle and post-mortem dental health.” This developed the preliminary understanding of dairy cattle dental health and examined possible areas in which improvements in the monitoring and management of the UK dairy herds’ dental health could be of value.
With a PhD looking at dairy beef production, in 2022 she set up Ovation to develop innovative technology and training in order to improve cattle dental health and welfare. With 1.7 million cows in Scotland, 9.6 million in the whole UK, and 1.5 billion globally, the potential impact of the new instrument could be substantial.
Ms Gordon said: "By ensuring their dental health is managed, we’re able to give them a longer, more comfortable life, and improve their productivity.”
Ovation secured a runner-up position in the KickStart category, designed for early-stage ideas with high commercial potential, at the Converge Awards. Impressing judges with their novel approach to cattle health, the company netted a £7,500 cash prize.
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