Two Queensland companies with a strong livestock focus have been awarded grants to help them commercialise their products sooner.
Direct Injection Technologies (DIT) will receive $612,750 in the July funding round of the Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs Programme – out of roughly $1.2 million allocated.
DIT develops liquid supplements that are distributed in the drinking water of animals in the red meat livestock industry and units to dispense them accurately using a peristaltic pump.
The company will use the grant to fund its latest commercialisation project, installing 40 of its NutriPro dispensing units to dispense its uCalm export supplement in yards, trucks and boats associated with companies in the live cattle export supply chain.
DIT will complete a commercial proof of concept during the trail, testing the effectiveness of the supplement in reducing animal stress and preventing dehydration at different stages of the supply chain.
The company installed its first set of uCalm export doser machines on Wellards live export ships to Asia following a 12-month trial period last month.
Check out our story about the trial here
Subsequent research following the trial by DIT technologies has shown a 20 per cent improvement in the average daily weight gain by animals supplemented with uCALM export during transit in holding yards, providing better economic returns and improved animal welfare.
The company ultimately aims to sell 8,820 of its units by 2023, supplying 10% of the Australian cattle and sheep populations, with projected total earnings revenue of $217 million.
DIT founder Mark Peart says he is proud to have secured endorsement by government bodies for the company’s project.
“To have the endorsement of both the federal government, industry and continued support by our local MP John McVeigh is a huge coup for DIT and reinforces our maturity and reputation in the livestock agricultural sector, no longer are we a small startup,” he says.
“We’re focused on partnering with fellow innovators in the agricultural sector to create impact and use technology to power positive change,” says Peart.
Another grant, of $80,000, will be allocated to Queensland company Chromoxyion, as it seeks to further its research into sex selection for livestock through products added to semen used in artificial insemination.