Automated Technology Enhances Dairy Farm
Management
Builds on Strong MSD Animal Health
Commitment to New Zealand Farmers
Complements Broad MSD Animal Health
Portfolio of Medicines, Vaccines and Technology Solutions
MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced its intention to
acquire the assets of LIC Automation Ltd. (“LICA”), from New
Zealand-based, farmer-owned cooperative Livestock Improvement
Corporation Ltd. (“LIC”). LICA is a leader in automation and
technology for the dairy industry. Specific terms of the agreement
were not disclosed.
LICA, a privately held company in New Zealand, manufactures and
supplies specialised, integrated herd management systems and
milk-testing sensors for the dairy industry. Farm productivity has
become increasingly important on the dairy farm. LICA’s automated
offerings including Protrack technology solutions, enables dairy
farmers to gather precise information on the health and milking
habits of dairy cows, which supports their efforts in herd
management, real-time milk analysis, animal evaluation and
reproductive health and wellness. LICA products are available in
New Zealand and in selected European markets.
“We are pleased to take this step forward with the acquisition
of LICA technology, as we continue to broaden our portfolio with
complementary products and technologies to advance animal
well-being and outcomes for our customers,” said Rick DeLuca,
president, MSD Animal Health. “Our portfolio of enhanced dairy farm
management and livestock intelligence solutions for the dairy
industry help address the evolving customer needs of dairy farmers
and strengthen our leadership in shaping the future of animal
health.”
“We are excited to add LICA’s products to our existing
veterinary medicines, vaccines and health management solutions and
services, as well as Allflex Livestock Intelligence’s digitally
connected identification, traceability and monitoring products to
benefit farmers and veterinarians,” said Pauline Calvert, Livestock
Business Unit lead, MSD Animal Health, New Zealand. “MSD Animal
Health has a substantial footprint in New Zealand as a leading
partner in the agricultural community. The solutions we offer build
upon our strong presence in New Zealand, which includes
manufacturing facilities at Palmerston North (Allflex Livestock
Intelligence, a business unit within MSD Animal Health), Upper Hutt
(animal health vaccines) and now Hamilton (LICA milking
intelligence and automation). We are exceptionally proud of our
continuous commitment and investment to advance animal health and
well-being for our unique pastoral-based farming systems in
Aotearoa (New Zealand), that supports the efforts of our farmers’
in their day-to-day operations today and into the future. We look
forward to continuing to expand our world-class animal health
solutions both locally and globally.”
LICA’s product portfolio joins Allflex Livestock Intelligence,
the leading New Zealand livestock intelligence business. Allflex
Livestock Intelligence is a complementary business that specialises
in identification and monitoring technology that delivers
real-time, actionable data and insights to help improve livestock
management.
“We are pleased that MSD Animal Health has chosen to acquire
this technology,” said Wayne McNee, LIC chief executive. “MSD
Animal Health has a reputation for investing heavily in research
and development for animal health and welfare. The company has
extensive scientific and technological capabilities that can take
this technology to the next phase and deliver more value to
farmers.”
About MSD Animal Health
For 130 years, MSD, a leading global biopharmaceutical company,
has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and
vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. MSD
Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth,
N.J., USA, is the global animal health business unit of MSD.
Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals™, MSD
Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and
governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals,
vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an
extensive suite of digitally connected identification, traceability
and monitoring products. MSD Animal Health is dedicated to
preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of
animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in
dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global
supply chain. MSD Animal Health is present in more than 50
countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets.
For more information, visit www.msd-animal-health.com or connect
with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About LIC Automation
LICA is a subsidiary of Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC),
a New Zealand based farmer-owned co-operative and world leader in
pasture-based dairy genetics and herd management. LIC exists to
deliver superior genetics and technological innovation to help our
shareholder sustainably farm a profitable animal.
LICA manufacturers and supplies integrated herd management
systems and unique milk testing sensors for the dairy industry.
Automation is an important part of farm performance and herd
management, to help dairy farmers to improve prosperity and
productivity. The innovative in-shed systems, known as Protrack,
simplify complex jobs and improve decision making on-farm, to
deliver improved herd management, animal health and welfare,
real-time milk analysis, increased labour efficiency and profit.
The proprietary technology identifies each cow in the milking herd
from their ear tags to provide automated drafting, heat detection,
body condition scoring and targeted feeding. The systems also
enable real-time animal recording and review, individual cow alerts
and live analysis through milk testing sensors that measure fat,
protein, somatic cell counts, lactose, conductivity, and volume
while a cow is being milked.
The first Protrack system was installed on a New Zealand dairy
farm in 2004. Today, more than 2500 dairy farms benefit from this
state-of-the-art technology. The LICA business was formed in 2015,
to amalgamate the co-op’s automation solutions into a single,
standalone entity.
About LIC
LIC is a farmer-owned co-operative and world leader in pasture
based dairy genetics and herd management. LIC exists to deliver
superior genetics and technological innovation to help its
shareholders sustainably farm a profitable animal.
With origins dating back to 1909, LIC has a long history of
developing and delivering world-leading innovations for the dairy
industry. The co-op continues to be one of the sector’s biggest
private investors in research and development.
Today the New Zealand-based co-op employs more than 700
permanent staff, swelling to 2000 during the spring peak dairy
mating season. LIC also has offices in the United Kingdom, Ireland
and Australia.
All LIC profit is returned to its farmer owners/shareholders in
dividends, or reinvested for new solutions, research and
development. www.lic.co.nz
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.,
USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are
based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s
management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.
If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or
uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United States and internationally;
global trends toward health care cost containment; technological
advances, new products and patents attained by competitors;
challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining
regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict
future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays;
financial instability of international economies and sovereign
risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and
other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210607005516/en/
MSD Media Contact: Jeanette Lewis + 1 (973) 294-0318
Jeanette.Lewis@merck.com LICA Media Contact: Ashleigh Sattler +64
276171942 Ashleigh.sattler@lic.co.nz MSD Investor Contact: Peter
Dannenbaum + 1 (908) 740-1037 Peter.Dannenbaum@merck.com
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