Canadian, U.S. biosecurity companies merge

Two biosecurity companies, Canadian firm Farm Health Guardian Ltd. and U.S.-based NoveTechnologies, LLC (NoveTech), are merging to bring their farm technology to pork and poultry producers in North America.

The company is launching Protocol, a biosecurity management system that utilizes facial recognition technology for controlled access of livestock barns.

“Together our companies are stronger, and the merger means we are able to offer a more complete product line of digital biosecurity technologies to help farmers and food companies improve biosecurity and protect animal health,” says Rob Hannam, Farm Health Guardian CEO. “This merger will also see the launch of Protocol in the U.S. and Canada, a facial recognition barn entry system that will revolutionize controlled access in pork and poultry barns.”

Farm Health Guardian is a digital biosecurity software system that helps farm operations and food companies improve biosecurity and prevent disease transmission.

As of June 5, 2023, the two companies will be combined under the Farm Health Guardian company name and operate from Guelph, Ont., Canada, and Omaha, Neb., U.S.

Management teams from both companies will continue to provide industry-leading insights and drive the development of innovative solutions for farm biosecurity and animal health.

“We’re excited about the synergies that we all bring, and the opportunities to introduce a new, digital way for producers to make their biosecurity protocols easier,” says Anthony Novero, now the chief technology officer for Farm Health Guardian.

“Producers want assurances that any person or truck entering their farm or barns are disease-free and together as Farm Health Guardian, we can now offer the most innovative disease prevention system available today.”

The newly launched Protocol is a controlled entry biosecurity system that allows farmers and integrators to take full control of who can enter their farm production sites.

“Protocol is a facial recognition barn entry system and is changing the way farms manage their health status and downtime requirements. This system enables farm managers to lower the risk of diseases entering barns by proactively controlling the people entry points,” explains Kent Andersen, U.S. swine specialist with Farm Health Guardian.

Farm Health Protect is already available to farmers in Canada and the U.S., and is a farm biosecurity management system that confidentially records the movement of trucks on and off farm properties to monitor protocols and identify biosecurity breaches.

“Together Farm Health Guardian and NoveTech offer a complete biosecurity management solution to help farms and food companies manage their biosecurity program, and we look forward to continuing to deliver preparedness, traceability, and consumer confidence solutions to our industry,” Anderson says.