2 poultry start-up companies in the running at World Agri-Tech pitch

The 2 – eggXYt and Thrive Multi-Visual – will be up against 8 other finalists showcasing their technological developments to leading multinational retailer Tesco.

They have been chosen from more than 100 international submissions and the winner will gain fast-track access to Tesco’s supply chain as well as mentoring from the firm’s farming team.

Ultrasound for eggs

Israeli-based eggXYt is developing an ultrasound for eggs, building a product that the firm believes will revolutionize hatcheries, making them a better place.

“We do this by developing a technology that enables sex detection of chick embryos immediately after the eggs are laid and before they enter the 21 day incubation process,” the company says.

It claims it will lead to the saving of 7 billion chicks a year by preventing their incubation, saving the industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually by not needing to waste half of their hatching capacity in order to pay people at the end of the hatchery line to identify and cull day-old male chicks.

Improving transparency within the chicken supply chain

Dutch firm Thrive Multi Visual uses livestock monitoring to improve transparency within the chicken supply chain, highly dependent on bird welfare and performance.

Using cameras, sensors and AI, it provides real-time monitoring, metrics and insights for farmers, processors and retailers.

7 minute pitch

The companies will battle it out against firms promoting sustainable food, reduction of farm level emissions, responsible use of antibiotics, meat grading and quality, soil health, water management and waste reduction. They will have 7 minutes to pitch to the judges including Tesco’s food technical director Emmanuelle Lerges and head of agriculture Barney Kay, Branston’s innovations director Vee Guruajan, Cranswick’s agriculture manager Ash Gilman and Ian Tremain, head of agriculture innovation at Bridgwater College.