EuroTier 2026: smaXtec to Present New Behaviour Module for Dairy Cow Health Monitoring
Austrian company smaXtec, which offers a cow health monitoring system based on a sensor capsule, will show a new behaviour module and an improved health index at EuroTier in Hanover. Continuous respiration-rate measurement is planned to become available from 2027.
smaXtec, a maker of health management systems for dairy farms, will present the latest improvements to its system at EuroTier 2026 in Hanover, Germany. EuroTier is an international trade fair devoted to livestock production. The fair runs from 10 to 13 November, and the company's stand will be in Hall 11, B22. The company describes itself as the global technology leader in using artificial intelligence to detect disease early on dairy farms.
What the system does
smaXtec uses a bolus, a sensor capsule placed in a cow's reticulum, the forward part of the stomach. The company says one million cows worldwide have already been fitted with one. Early detection can help avoid severe illness, the treatment costs that come with it, and losses in performance.
Thomas Böser of the German agricultural cooperative Agraset Agrargenossenschaft eG, which keeps about 950 cows, says work in the barn has become calmer since the system was introduced, because sick animals can be found promptly.
What is new
The new behaviour module shows how long the herd spends standing and lying, and how much time the cows spend ruminating while standing and lying. The improved health index and its benchmarking help farmers place their herd's health status and compare it with figures from similar reference farms.
From 2027, the company plans to offer, for the first time commercially worldwide, continuous respiration-rate measurement taken directly from the reticulum.
Together with its partner Lock SmartSolutions, smaXtec received the EuroTier Innovation Award and the Animal Welfare Award this year for its SmartCalving solution.
CEO Charlie Sheppy says that, especially after last summer's heatwave and with prices still volatile, farmers need reliable grounds for their decisions.
Programme at the stand
On every day of the fair, experts in animal health, advisory work and product development will be available at the stand. Talks are also planned, including one on the digital feed chain and one on what cow behaviour reveals when no one is in the barn.
