BovRes BR-1 is a self-powered, off-grid cattle collar that continuously monitors temperature and behaviour and flags animals in the pre-clinical phase of infection, so a single case is isolated before it becomes a farm or district outbreak.
Become a pilot partner How it worksSouth Africa's 2025–26 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is the worst on record: 24,400 cases in 2025, all nine provinces affected, a national disaster declared in February 2026, beef exports down 36% and dairy losses over R1 billion at roughly R5,000 per affected cow.
Government is vaccinating 14 million cattle this year, and it is bringing case numbers down. But export markets only reopen once South Africa can prove, under WOAH rules, that virus is no longer circulating in vaccinated herds. Vaccinated animals that do get infected show milder, later signs, and no veterinary service can physically inspect 14 million animals.
Peer-reviewed challenge studies show what happens after a cow is exposed to FMD virus. Fever is the first sign, and animals transmit before it appears.
Detection window: continuous temperature and behaviour sensing sees the change hereContact infrared sensing at the neck with ambient compensation, compared against each animal's own circadian baseline. Fever onset is the earliest FMD sign.
A 3-axis accelerometer tracks activity, lying time and a rumination proxy. Sensor studies detect respiratory disease 12–136 hours before clinical signs using these signals.
Several animals deviating within 24–48 hours of each other is an outbreak signature. Mesh proximity data reconstructs contact networks so clusters are flagged at herd and district level.
Sources: Arzt et al., Scientific Reports (2025); Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2025); Veterinary Research (2025); Timsit et al., Veterinary Journal (2011); Animals (2024). BR-1 is a monitoring and decision-support device. It does not treat, prevent or cure disease and makes no such claim. Detection performance will be reported from independent, pre-registered studies.
For the farmer. Traffic-light herd dashboard on mobile; same-day alerts for fever onset, activity collapse, rumination drop, lameness, mastitis and heat; find-the-animal locator; LITS-SA-compatible movement records.
For state and private vets. District-level anomaly clustering and contact tracing; continuous "no clinical signs" evidence per farm, structured to WOAH Chapter 8.8, for export re-certification. Data hosted in South Africa.
For processors, exporters and insurers. Verification that supplying herds have been under continuous monitoring with no unresolved alerts for the required period.
| Imported systems | BovRes BR-1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | Per-cow productivity on connected dairies | Outbreak early warning + productivity |
| Connectivity | Base stations, cellular or satellite | Off-grid LoRaWAN mesh |
| Price | R4,000–8,000 + subscription | R2,499 + R25/month |
| Surveillance use | None | Built in; LITS-SA aligned |
| Manufacture | Imported | South African |
Every performance figure we publish will come from an independent, pre-registered study run by a South African veterinary faculty, published regardless of outcome.
30 collars; sensor accuracy against reference thermometry; IP68, UV and abrasion; 60-day winter power test; mesh range on an extensive farm.
100 animals (50 dairy, 50 feedlot) for 12 weeks, with blinded daily clinical scoring by the faculty partner against routine records.
Deployment on farms under FMD restriction with provincial veterinary services; confirmed cases as the reference.
2,000+ animals in one district; HerdLink Surveillance in use by state vets; results submitted for publication.
Targets: sensitivity ≥80% and specificity ≥90% for clinical illness; median lead time ≥24 hours (goal 48 hours) ahead of visual detection. Provisional patent filed in South Africa (PT/PV/ZA00002396).
We are placing a small number of no-cost pilots for 2027: about 50 animals for 12 weeks on a commercial dairy, one feeding cycle on a feedlot pen, and a district surveillance pilot with a provincial veterinary service. All hardware, installation and reporting is at our cost. Your data stays yours.
Email bd@burmain.com or use the form below. Investors: the NDA-gated deck and data room are at bovres.com/invest.
Cape Town, South Africa. BovRes BR-1 and the HerdLink platform are developed and manufactured in South Africa. We are raising a seed round to fund independent validation, ICASA/SABS certification and a 300-unit pre-production run. Investor information.