Breath test for cows to keep farmers’ arms out of bovine backsides

A pregnancy breath test for cows developed in Australia could save farmers from donning long rubber gloves and going armpit-deep into the back end of a bovine.

Cows can now be breathalysed to check whether they’re carrying a calf, which could save farmers from donning the long rubber gloves and going armpit-deep into the back end of a bovine.

The new breathalyser has been developed by Australian ag-tech start-up Agscent with support from the NSW ­Primary Industries Department’s Global Ag-Tech Ecosystem (GATE), which can detect ultra-small biological compounds and structures that ­indicate a pregnancy.

The breathalyser has been trialled at Tocal College Dairy Farm in the Hunter this week.

Carwoolah Pastoral Company general manager Darren Price gives a cow a breath test.

“The reality is that we’ve been pregnancy testing ­livestock the same way since before the pyramids,” Agscent founder Dr Bronwyn Darlington said.

“The commonly used methods right now are not taking advantage of the technology we’re understanding more and more today.”

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Not only does the breathalyser save graziers from being kicked by a cow, but it could also help to detect cattle respiratory diseases.

Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the technology coming out of the NSW DPI was world-leading.

“NSW Department of Primary Industries is in the world’s top 1 per cent of global agricultural research organisations and this type of innovation demonstrates why,” he said.

“The government is committed to ensuring our farmers have access to the world’s best agricultural science and become more productive and profitable.”

Originally published as Breath test for cows to keep farmers’ arms out of bovine backsides