Early Disease Detection and Monitoring in Farm and Field Acronym: Farm Monitor

Early stage detection of infectious agents in livestock destined for the human food supply chain includes tuberculosis, campylobacter, E coli, avian influenza and micro-organisms that cause mastitis. The agents cause diseases that cost UK and global agriculture billions of pounds every year. This TSB project will manufacture a new diagnostic platform, comprising an 'in-situ' air sampler and a hand-held detector for early stage monitoring of infections in crop and livestock situations, which has been termed the ‘Farm Monitor’. To focus the project Campylobacter has been chosen as the demonstration target organism. Previously funded TSB work showed the feasibility of developing this method as an early stage monitor for Campylobacter. Currently this bacteria causes over 460,000 cases, with 22,000 hospitalisations and over 100 deaths per year, costing the UK government over £900m/year. An early stage detection and monitoring system will give a cost benefit of up to £20m/year for UK chicken producers and also the public health risk from Campylobacter will be significantly reduced, resulting in economic savings to the NHS & UK plc up to £450m/year if government guidelines are met