About the project
PneuMonitor is the outcome of a collaborative effort between Aspatria Farmers, the Dairy Research Centre, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Co-Lab, and the wider farming community. This partnership combined the practical experience of farmers, the applied research expertise of leading agricultural institutions, and Co-Lab’s innovation and delivery capability to address one of the livestock sector’s most costly and persistent challenges: calf pneumonia.
Aspatria Farmers, a farmer-owned cooperative, brought deep insight into on-farm realities and herd management. The Dairy Research Centre and SRUC contributed science-led expertise in animal health, welfare, and productivity, ensuring the solution was grounded in robust research. Co-Lab facilitated cross-sector collaboration, guided the structured innovation process, and aligned technical development with farmer needs and market readiness.
Following successful trials and strong industry interest, PneuMonitor has now spun out into a standalone business. It is securing its own funding, building market traction, and preparing for wider commercial deployment , bringing a practical, evidence-based technology to market that improves animal welfare and farm productivity.
📍 United Kingdom
💼 Agriculture
⚙️ Product Development
The enthusiasm and professionalism of Co-Lab has made working on the Pneumonitor project with them an easy and rewarding experience. They kept us informed of progress and problems and communicated the complexities in an easy-to-understand way. They were open to our questions and were great at getting us to explain and gain understanding what the Pneumonitor needed from an on-farm perspective.
This was a collaborative project that took our idea, developed the engineering together, to produce a farmer-friendly sensor that will help anyone rearing calves to prevent pneumonia.
- Dr. Mike Christian, Innovation Broker, Dairy Research Centre
Challenge
Pneumonia’s Impact on EU Dairy Farmers: High Costs and Calf Mortality
Pneumonia remains one of the most significant health challenges facing dairy and beef farmers, causing calf mortality, reduced growth rates, and long-term impacts on productivity. The disease often develops rapidly, and symptoms can be difficult to detect at an early stage, especially in large herds. This delay in diagnosis means treatment is often reactive rather than preventative, increasing costs, prolonging recovery times, and affecting animal welfare.
Across the EU dairy sector, pneumonia-related losses are estimated at up to £400 million annually through mortality, reduced weight gain, lower milk yields, and increased veterinary costs. For farmers, this not only impacts profitability but also places additional pressure on labour and herd management resources, making effective early detection a critical need.
Solution
Pneumonia’s Impact on EU Dairy Farmers: High Costs and Calf Mortality
PneuMonitor is a rugged, compact, and standalone environmental monitoring system designed specifically for livestock housing. It continuously tracks key environmental factors linked to the onset of pneumonia, such as temperature, humidity, and air quality, providing farmers with accurate, real-time data on the conditions calves are exposed to.
The system delivers actionable insights and alerts, notifying farmers when environmental conditions reach thresholds that could become hazardous to animal health. This enables early intervention, reducing the risk of disease outbreaks and improving animal welfare. PneuMonitor has been developed with direct farmer input to ensure it is easy to install, simple to use, and requires minimal maintenance, making it a practical solution for farms of all sizes. By enabling preventative action, it supports better herd health, reduces treatment costs, and helps protect long-term productivity.
Process
Development process steps
The development process begins with Requirements Capture, where project needs are documented. This leads to Schematic Capture, creating the initial circuit design. Next, PCB Layout defines the physical board layout, followed by 3D Model creation for visualization. The process then moves to Deployment, where the design is implemented, followed by Machining & Assembly to build the hardware. Finally, the Printed Circuit Board is produced, completing the development cycle.
Benefits
Early Alerts, Healthier Herds, and Boosted Productivity
Early Warning System - Alerts farmers when environmental conditions become hazardous.
Reduced Calf Mortality - Helps promote the hygiene factors which impact herd health.
Increased Productivity - Minimises illness-related setbacks, ensuring better growth rates and higher milk yields.
