AI tools and green solutions for farms among finalists in 2025 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards at the National Ploughing Championships

• Nine agri innovators will deliver live pitches to audience and judges in final today
• Three awards, including €10,000 and specialist advisory support for ‘Start-Up of the Year’ winner
• 40 Irish agri innovators showcase cutting-edge solutions in one of the most visited exhibitions at the National Ploughing Championships

AI-driven tools to inform decisions on farms, a solar powered feeding machine, low-emission manure management systems and clean electric technology to replace diesel tractor engines are just some of the cutting-edge solutions taking centre stage in this year’s Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards. 

Nine Irish agri innovators have today been named as finalists in this year’s Innovation Arena Awards, and they are set to participate in a live competition in front of an audience and a panel of judges at the National Ploughing Championships this afternoon. 

This is the 12th annual Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards, and the focus of this year’s exhibition is ‘Accelerate Sustainable Irish Agri Business’, showcasing pioneering solutions from Irish agritech innovators to thousands of visitors and international buyers at one of Europe’s largest outdoor events. 

Among this year’s entries there is a strong focus on AI-driven technologies and sustainable innovations, designed to support farmers to make more informed decisions, and to help create more efficient, safer and sustainable practices on farms, as well as optimising operations and helping to create savings in terms of time and costs.  

There are three awards in this year’s competition with three finalists in each category, and the winner of the 2025 ‘Start-Up of the Year’ award will win a €10,000 prize, as well as specialist mentoring and advisory supports from Enterprise Ireland. 

The ‘Green Impact Award’ will recognise an innovation which is focused on sustaining the development of food and farming for future generations to come, while the ‘2025 Innovation Arena Champion Award’ will honour an established company demonstrating a focus on scaling and innovation. 

Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena is one of the most visited exhibitions annually at the National Ploughing Championships. Over the course of the event, 40 Irish agritech companies, researchers and academia will have the opportunity to showcase their trailblazing products and innovations, which are focused on solving a broad spectrum of global challenges, across areas such as animal science and technology, agri-engineering, animal health and nutrition, sustainability and climate action, and farm health and safety. 

As part of our programme of activity at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, a delegation of 25 international buyers from across Europe and the Nordics, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North America will travel to Screggan, Co Offaly, to meet with these innovators and other Irish-owned companies exhibiting across the site. 

Irish agritech companies supported by Enterprise Ireland are economic pillars in towns and communities across the country, with exports reaching €875m in 2024 and employing almost 5,000 people. These companies are delivering products and services in the areas of farm equipment, livestock handling and housing, smart farming solutions, crop cultivation and protection, as well as animal health and nutrition.  

Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting Irish-owned companies to start, compete, scale and connect, and the Innovation Arena helps to foster the development of agritech innovators and to accelerate their business in domestic and global markets. 

Speaking at the opening of the 12th annual Innovation Arena, Jenny Melia, CEO, Enterprise Ireland said: “Irish agri innovators are renowned for their quality, excellence and knowledge- agriculture and tech are in our DNA. The companies participating in this year’s competition are the epitome of that, reshaping the future of agriculture internationally, delivering cutting-edge solutions with the power and ability to sustain and futureproof this sector for generations to come. Their ambition and drive are not only transforming this sector globally, but the agritech businesses we are celebrating this week are also deeply rooted in sustaining rural communities and economies by creating high-quality jobs and important local expenditure. 

“Enterprise Ireland’s ambition is that exporting focused companies will become the primary driver of the Irish economy, and these innovation focused agritech companies are at the heart of that strategy as they embrace new technologies and deliver novel innovations for global challenges.” 

Congratulating all the finalists and exhibitors in this year’s Innovation Arena, Anna May McHugh, Managing Director, NPA: “Year after year, the Innovation Arena shines a light on the creativity and ingenuity within Irish agritech. It is inspiring to see so many companies bringing forward solutions that will shape the future of farming, not just here in Ireland but across the world. The National Ploughing Association is proud to provide a stage for these innovators, and I warmly congratulate every finalist and exhibitor on their achievements and their contribution to sustaining rural communities and the wider agri sector.” 

The three companies pitching for the ‘Start-Up of the Year’ Award today are ScanInsights, SM Advanced Technologies, and VetPal. GlasPort Bio, Hibra Design and Slurry Quip are finalists in the ‘Green Impact Award’ category, while Cormac Tagging, Herdwatch and Pearson Milking Technology are the three finalists pitching for the ‘2025 Innovation Arena Champion Award’.  

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony this afternoon following the live pitching event. In addition to the three awards, a number of companies who entered this year’s competition will also be presented with a ‘Certificate of Achievement for Innovation’, having received a minimum qualifying score. 

A full list of all the companies participating in this year’s Innovation Arena can be found here. The Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena is located at Row 10, Block 4, Stand 228 at the National Ploughing Championships. 

ENDS 

For further information, contact; 

Emma Jane Hade – Senior Communications Manager, Enterprise Ireland 

emma-jane.hade@enterprise-ireland.com / 087 775 8157 

Notes to editors; 

Media are invited to attend the Innovation Arena Awards competition today (Tuesday 16th September) at 2pm at Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena- Row 10, Block 4, Stand 228 at the National Ploughing Championships

Photos will be issued to picture desks this afternoon by Coalesce Photography

Overview of nine finalists: 

Innovation Arena ‘Start-Up of the Year Award’ finalists: 

ScanInsights (Cork)

The ScanInsights App makes scanning dairy and beef cows more accurate and more efficient. Built on a database of 2.5 million scans from bovine scanning in dairy and beef markets, this innovative technology provides a real time estimate to the operator while the scanning process is ongoing. It is completely automated combining all reproductive features it sees to produce a simple output the operator can see on their screen or visor. The ScanInsights App performs complex measurement tasks such as estimating the age of the foetus, the stage of the cycle and the sex of the calf. It runs on a standard mobile phone connected to the ultrasound machine.

SM Advanced Technologies (Kilkenny)

The SM "Smart Feeder" is a mobile, solar-powered livestock concentrates feeder designed to automate & optimize feeding based on individual animal needs in group settings. The feed station will first identify and weigh the animal before batching the appropriate amount of concentrate according to their specific requirements which can be remotely managed and adjusted via a custom mobile app. With the capacity to run on both mains power for farmyard use and solar power for field and remote settings, the SM "Smart Feeder" is the perfect solution for delivering precise, data-driven feed control in agricultural environments.

VetPal Technology Limited (Roscommon)

VetPal is Europe’s first fully integrated e-digital veterinary platform built specifically for the agricultural sector, enabling farmers to directly connect with veterinary practices. Designed by a vet with deep roots in farming, VetPal addresses urgent compliance and operational challenges faced by vets, farmers, and animal remedy stores. New EU legislation will require vets to upload prescriptions for antimicrobials and antiparasitics to the National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS), and there is now also an obligation that remedy stores must receive and dispense them via this system.  With access to veterinary services and animal health products on Irish farms under increasing pressure, this innovative solution aims to address this issue and create efficiencies by enabling animal owners to connect directly with veterinary practices, book appointments, explain symptoms, request treatments for pick up at the vet practice or desired animal remedy store/ pharmacy.

Innovation Arena ‘Green Impact Award’ finalists: 

GlasPort Bio (Galway)

GasAbate by GlasPort Bio is a science-backed manure management system that cuts emissions while also reducing agitation time for farmers.

Independent trials have shown that when injected into stored cattle and pig slurry, it reduces methane emissions by 80%, hydrogen sulphide by 80% and ammonia by 50%. It also delivers increased crop growth, reduces odours and improves the biomethane yield.

GlasPort Bio’s proprietary dosage and verification system - Compli360 - delivers live farm data to its cloud-based reporting platform, supporting compliance with climate targets and sustainability standards, allowing farmers and the food chain to generate robust carbon insets.

Having only started its commercialisation journey in mid-2025, GlasPort Bio is on track to deliver projects that will remove 12,000 tonnes of carbon from EU food production on an annualised basis.

Hibra Design (Cork)

Hibra Design develops bespoke and sustainable vehicle solutions. Their services decrease the impact vehicles have on the environment, while increasing production efficiency, reducing operational costs and producing healthier working environments. Their latest innovation has reengineered the diesel engine of a John Deere tractor to replace it with a high-voltage clean technology electric powertrain with full operational capability. This complex project was commissioned by BNM with the objective to create a zero-emissions vehicle, specifically tailored for peatland rewetting operations across the Irish midlands. Hibra Design develops client-focused solutions across road, off-highway, agriculture, aviation and marine sectors.

Slurry Quip (Down) 

The Slurry Quip solution is the largest mobile single slurry separator on the market., Capable of processing 100 cubic meters of dairy slurry per hour, this innovation is ideal for large-scale operations and contractors looking to deliver fast, effective results across multiple locations. 
Mounted on a custom-designed trailer with a high-performance generator, the unit is fully mobile, allowing contractors to move from farm to farm. An intelligent control system allows for real-time adjustment of machine parameters to adapt to the consistency and volume it is dealing with, ensuring optimal separation performance on any site. A standout feature is the integrated slewing conveyor, which efficiently stockpiles the separated solids, streamlining the handling and storage process, compliance, and helps farmers make better use of their slurry as a resource. 

‘Innovation Arena Champion 2025’ finalists: 

Cormac Tagging (Galway) 

Cormac Tagging is a female led agritech company and a leader in animal identification. They have developed a new smart electronic leg band, designed to identify cows accurately from behind the animal, supporting accurate where it matters most identification, which creates efficiencies at farm level. Tags can often be on the wrong end of the animal for efficient identification especially for the dairy farmer, sometimes leading to costly errors and unreliable data. The leg band’s integrated chip, with the same identification number as the ear tag, enables instant, accurate identification, eliminating mistakes and saving time for the farmer. Designed for durability, simplicity, and seamless use, it acts as a software enabler, allowing the potential to integrate with existing herd management software systems, ICBF, and milk recording companies. This innovation improves accuracy, safety, and efficiency at farm level, and it supports the farmers ability to connect seamless animal data integration with their existing software.

Herdwatch (Tipperary)

Herdi – Herd Intelligence is the first context-aware AI assistant developed specifically for livestock producers. Built into the already popular and widely used Herdwatch app, the new AI assistant Herdi will help farmers to make faster and informed decisions by interpreting a wide range of data, such as vaccination records and grazing plans, weather forecasts and regulatory guidelines.

By integrating both on-farm and external data sources, Herdi provides clear evidence-based insights through chat, voice, or visual formats. The AI assistant is designed to support everyday farm management tasks such as treatment tracking, grazing scheduling, and compliance navigation, offering practical support to over 22,000 farms across the sector.

Pearson Milking Technology (Kildare) 

Titan Pulsator, a smart dairy solution in milking precision and herd welfare, integrates continuous, intelligent AI-driven diagnostics to identify potential issues to support animal health and efficiencies on farm.

A third-generation Irish family business, Pearson Milking Technology’s latest innovation harnesses intelligent diagnostics, including service interval counters, electric solenoid monitoring, vacuum drop detection, and cutting-edge AI-driven acoustic monitoring. This proactive technology identifies potential issues before they develop, reducing downtime, protecting equipment, and most importantly, safeguarding animal health. Visual LED traffic-light diagnostics allow instant checks at a glance, simplifying daily operations.

This breakthrough innovation safeguards cow health, prevents costly breakdowns, reduces downtime, and delivers smoother milking – meaning happier, healthier cows and more milk in the tank. Combining innovation, reliability, and farmer-focused design, this is a tool for modern, progressive dairy farms looking to maximise efficiency, animal health, and long-term profitability.