TLDR: Tipperary-based company Herdwatch has won the prestigious Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Champion Award at the 2025 National Ploughing Championships for its groundbreaking AI-enhanced herd management tool, ‘Herd Intelligence’. The tool assists farmers with critical decision-making, compliance, and daily tasks by leveraging diverse data sources.
Tipperary, Ireland – September 17, 2025 – Herdwatch, a leading agricultural technology company based in County Tipperary, has been awarded the coveted Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Champion Award at the 2025 National Ploughing Championships. The accolade recognizes Herdwatch’s pioneering ‘Herd Intelligence’ tool, an AI-enhanced solution designed to revolutionize farm management practices across Ireland and beyond.
The ‘Herd Intelligence’ system, integrated into the popular Herdwatch app, provides farmers with an advanced, context-aware artificial intelligence assistant. This innovative tool processes a wide array of data, including animal health records, grazing plans, and regulatory guidelines, to offer clear, evidence-based insights. Farmers can interact with the AI assistant through chat, voice, or visual formats, enabling faster and more informed decisions on critical aspects of herd management.
According to reports from the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena, the AI-driven tool is specifically engineered to support everyday farm management tasks. This includes streamlining the tracking of veterinary treatments, optimizing grazing schedules, and navigating complex compliance requirements. Its ability to integrate both on-farm and external data sources marks it as the first context-aware AI developed specifically for livestock producers, offering unparalleled practical support to the agricultural sector.
The award was presented during the 12th annual Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards, a highlight of the National Ploughing Championships, which showcases cutting-edge solutions from Irish agritech innovators. This year’s competition saw nine agri-innovators deliver live pitches, with a strong focus on AI-driven technologies and sustainable innovations aimed at improving efficiency, safety, and sustainability on farms, while also reducing operational costs and time.
While Herdwatch took the top ‘Champion’ prize, other notable winners included Cork-based ScanInsights, which secured the ‘Start-Up of the Year’ award for its AI-assisted cow scanning tool. Galway firm GlasPort Bio also received the ‘Green Impact Award’ for its GasAbate slurry management system, designed to reduce emissions and enhance manure nutrient content. The collective innovations underscore a significant push towards technology-driven, sustainable agriculture in Ireland.
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The success of ‘Herd Intelligence’ highlights the growing impact of artificial intelligence in transforming traditional farming methods, empowering farmers with sophisticated tools to manage their operations more effectively and sustainably in an increasingly data-driven world.
