Cost / Benefit Analysis

Cost / Benefit Analysis: DNA parentage

Sm@RT Platform EU Funding

Tool / Technology: DNA parentage

Analysis prepared by (country): UK

Production type the tool/technology is relevant for: Dairy  / Meat / Both

Description of the “benchmark” farm for which the analysis is performed:

Country: UK

Production type:

Mainly outdoors / Housed 0-3 months a year / Housed 4-8 months a year / Mainly indoors

Farm grazing area: ~1,000 ha

Species: Sheep

Number of animals: 700 ewes

Breed: Predominantly Scottish Blackface

Number of staff: 2

Costs

Initial set-up

Capital costs (Large items e.g. a weigh crate, auto-drafter, etc.):

 €1 – €500 /  €501- €1,000 /  €1,001-€2,500 /  €2,501-€5,000 /  €5,001-€15,000 /  > €15,000

Individual costs (Smaller items e.g. per tag, per sample, per collar):

€1 – €20 /  €21- €50 /  €51-€200 /  €201-€500 /  > €500

Equipment leasing costs (if not purchased):

 Annual /  Monthly /  Weekly /  €1 – €50 /  €51-€200 /  €201-€500 /  > €500

Lifetime of the technology (approximately how long will it last before needing replaced)?

 1 – 4 weeks /  1-6 months /  6 – 12 months /  1-2 years / 2-5 years / > 5 years

Farm infrastructure requirements:

 Decrease /  Increase / No change /

Percentage of animals within the flock/herd that use/are equipped/take advantage of the technology?

100%

Running costs

Power source requirements (tick all that apply):

Not required / Mains / Battery / Solar / Other

Subscription fee – Needed? Yes / No

If yes

Per flock / herd: Annual €1 – €50

Per individual animal: Monthly €51 – €200

Per unit:Weekly /€201 – €500 / Over €500

Additional licences or permits required? No / Yes – Annual / Yes – Monthly / Yes – Weekly

If yes, cost:

€1 – €50 / €51 – €200 / €201 – €500 / Over €500

Maintenance cost – included in the subscription? Yes / No / Not applicable

If no, cost per month:

€1 – €50 / €51 – €200 / €201 – €500 / Over €500

Maintenance / replacement parts:

Easy to obtain / Difficult to obtain / Not obtainable / Don’t know

Technical / mechanical support provided on farm, after purchase? Yes / No

Training requirements

Training required to install / use? Yes / No

If yes, time range?

Up to an hour / Half day / Full day / More

Additional technical advice required (e.g. advisor time)? Yes / No

Are there additional costs associated with training and/or technical advice? Yes / No

Benefits

(tick all that apply)

Management

Labour / time saving.

Accuracy of records (health, management, movements etc.).

Management decisions for animal groupings.

Better individual animal management.

Improved medicine use.

Better nutrition / meeting requirements better.

Improved use of feed resource (grazing, concentrates, etc.).

Product quality improvements (e.g. hay, carcass, growth, milk, etc.).

Increased information on production system.

Opportunity for sharing / moving device (more than one location).

Animal

Reduced stress to the animal(s).

Improved welfare of the animals(s).

Additional information on animal behaviour.

Information on water intake / water availability.

Information on food intake / food availability.

Technical

Compatibility with other devices.

Ease of data transfer to other software.

Easy to use once installed.

Other

Reduced stress to farmer / staff.

Environmental benefits (e.g. reduced wastage, improved biodiversity, etc.)

Helps to attract new entrants in to the small ruminant industries.

Another benefit not listed? Please give details:

Helps to assess ewe, ram & lamb performance.

Ability to collect data for genetic improvement programmes.

Allows the use of multi-sire mating groups (rather than single sire groups / artificial insemination)

Less labour required at lambing time for recording.

Overall summary:

Ease of use? Scale 1 (Complicated) – 10 (Simple)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Value for money (for this type of benchmark farm)?

Yes / No / Maybe

Recommend this tool/technology for use on other types of farm?

Yes / No / Maybe

Additional comments?

Large initial cost of sampling every animal in the flock, but yearly costs thereafter

Only include lambs born each year and any new animals joining the flock.

Only useful if the data (pedigree information) is going to be used.

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