The project team includes meat processors Alliance Group from New Zealand, and the UK’s Dunbia and Randall Parker Foods.

Sainsbury’s is funding 50 per cent of the hardware – a FECPAK^G2 unit with a total cost of NZ$800 – and 50 per cent of the monthly subscription cost for two years.

A standard subscription is NZ$70 per month, so a Sainsbury’s supplier will only pay NZ$35 per month.

Greg Mirams, founder and managing director of the animal parasite diagnostics company, Techion, is at the centre of the project.

He’s confident it will have a significant impact on farmers’ profit and efficiency here and in the UK.

“How well livestock perform is heavily impacted by parasites – they’re the largest influencing factor on animal performance, after nutrition,” says Greg.

“The problem of increasing drug resistance by parasites to the drenches designed to kill them means we have to be smarter on how and when we use them – so it’s important for farmers to make use of new technologies to make better decisions.”

By linking veterinary and technical expertise with information generated straight from the paddock, the FECPAK^G2 system will give farmers data to make informed parasite management decisions, increasing farm profits, lamb performance and reducing treatment costs.

Balancing all the challenges farmers face isn’t easy, says Greg.

“They want to maximise animal performance, minimise drenching and labour costs while ensuring their total farm approach is sustainable, and they are producing a quality product for their customers,” says Greg.

“FECPAK^G2 is a new generation, online system to help farmers get that balance right. Informed farmers make smarter decisions which deliver better results for the whole supply chain.”

Canterbury farmer Tony Plunket, whose property is already signed up to take part in the project, says it’s certainly an exciting concept.

“Testing the old way meant there was too much human error and it was taking too long. We’re using smart technology much more these days.

“Techion’s system is user-friendly and puts accurate information at our fingertips so we can make a decision on the day whether we need to drench or not.”

Another farmer participating in the research, Warren Leslie agrees. “Animal health is a big expense to me – $6 a stock unit annually – and I want to make sure its money spent wisely, in a sustainable way.

Warren says as with any business, keeping your attention on bottom line benefits of every dollar spent is what counts.

“Sainsbury’s and Alliance supporting this opportunity for us to use Techion technology makes good sense, as there are no better trials than those I can do on my own property.

“Getting information and research on available technologies is good, but it’s often a challenge to know 100 per cent whether they work, until they work on your own farm system,” says Warren.

A Sainsbury’s statement says the supermarket chain is very pleased to support and encourage the rollout of this new technology for sheep farmers in the Sainsbury’s Producer Group.

It’s part of a wider programme of initiatives to support efficient, sustainable production as well as protecting and improving animal welfare in the lamb sector.

Sainsbury’s is committed to the view that frequent, accurate and reliable faecal egg counting on-farm, with veterinary support, will help encourage smarter, targeted use of anthelmintics and management strategies.

By working together with their own sheep farmers and leading technical experts, Sainsbury’s is adding value in the areas of monitoring and combating resistance.

The initiative is building on an already proven track-record of success. In a three-year EU Parasol Project, started in 2006, Techion’s original FECPAK system demonstrated what farmers can achieve.

The project saw 74 per cent of users reduce the number of drench treatments in lambs while not negatively impacting animal performance.

The latest release FECPAK^G2 system looks set to achieve even greater results.

It removes many of the challenges of sending biological samples to a lab, or undertaking tests on-farm and has already undergone evaluation in the UK under the guidance of Dr Eric Morgan from Bristol University.

“It is encouraging that our work with the system has shown that FECPAK^G2 is highly repeatable in the hands of different farmers in the field” says Eric.

Murray Beherent, general manager of Alliance Group – a key partner in Sainsbury’s New Zealand Producer Group – is also confident farmers will find the system beneficial and easy to use.

“It is high-tech, but Techion has made it simple to get actionable results on a computer, no matter where the farmers are, in a short-time frame,” says Murray.

“We will always do our best out in the market place for our farmers but the more information and technology we can help them use to gain efficiencies behind the farm gate, the better. This research and development project helps us do just that.”