Scottish firm’s testing tech set to ‘revolutionise dairy farming industry’ and save farmers thousands

Edinburgh-based Biotangents, which has just secured its latest investment round, has developed what is said to be the world’s fastest on-farm, point-of-care diagnostic device aimed at addressing disease in dairy cows. Bovine mastitis alone is estimated to cost the global dairy farming industry as much as £20 billion every year, costing the average UK dairy farm up to £25,000 per annum.

The company developed its technology due to the timeframe of existing diagnostics, which take so long that farmers resort to presumptively treating herds, predominantly with antibiotics that are estimated to be unnecessary in up to 40 per cent of cases. In turn, this can decrease life expectancy and increase milk wastage, leading to negative environmental impact and significant costs.

Data from Biotangents’ tech is sent to the farmer’s phone and, if required, can be sent to their management system, vets and milk processors. While focused on diagnostics for the animal health sector, the firm sees future applications for its technology, including in human healthcare and environmental monitoring.

The £2.3 million investment round was led by St Andrews-based investment firm Eos and British Business Investments through their regional angels programme, and existing investors Kelvin Capital and Scottish Enterprise. Senior agritech adviser Nicky Deasy joins the board on behalf of Eos as an investor director. Following the investment, Biotangents will commence on-farm trials across the UK and internationally later next year.

Biotangents’ chief executive Fiona Marshall said: “Biotangents is on the cusp of full market launch with a technology that leads to better herd health, much improved productivity and significantly higher levels of sustainability.”

Jill Arnold, investment relationship director at Eos, said: “Scottish science that improves lives, and has global market potential, is core to our focus at Eos and Biotangents fits that criteria perfectly, not just in terms of addressing antimicrobial resistance in livestock, but also in improved animal husbandry.”

Ross McDermid, chief commercial officer at Biotangents, added: “This investment endorses our game-changing technology, and means we can now seize the huge market opportunity to support farmers, vets and the wider dairy industry.”

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