Onside unveils new biosecurity tech to protect NZ's primary sector

Agri-tech company Onside has introduced new biosecurity technology to enhance biosecurity practices in New Zealand's primary industries. Their mobile app for rural risk management has effectively mapped over 16,000 rural properties and monitored more than 2.6 million movements across New Zealand and Australia. This technology collects data on various items, including plant material, people, machinery, and equipment, when contractors and visitors check in at rural properties. It aims to simplify the management of health, safety, and biosecurity risks, thereby aiding farmers and growers in maintaining compliance.

In the past six months, Onside's biosecurity tracing software, Onside Intelligence, has detected at least 1,000 check-in movements that potentially pose a biosecurity threat. The technology utilises data from different sources to create an intricate map of rural interactions and possible disease pathways. This assists biosecurity managers in identifying and responding quickly to outbreaks of pests and diseases.

Ryan Higgs, CEO of Onside, commented: "As a country, we face the growing risk that an increasingly diverse set of pests and diseases will cross our borders and impact our all-important primary sector. Time matters in a biosecurity response, and fast access to accurate traceability data is critical for preparing and responding efficiently to a biosecurity incursion."

"MPI's investment in our technology has been instrumental in getting it into the hands of industry partners working hard to protect farmers and growers. With recent additional support from MPI, we've also set up a dedicated science group comprising some of the top minds in biosecurity to tackle the ever-evolving challenges presented by global biosecurity risks."

Stuart Anderson, deputy director-general of Biosecurity New Zealand at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), praised the development: "Biosecurity is crucial for safeguarding our primary sector and economic security. It's great to see the development of this tool and industry uptake growing for Onside."

The partnership between Onside and MPI began in 2022 with a $9 million multi-year project co-invested by the Ministry for Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures). This collaboration aims to expedite the development and adoption of Onside's biosecurity app.

Several industry partners, including Biosecurity New Zealand, Kiwifruit Vine Health, New Zealand Winegrowers, NZ Pork, Aquaculture New Zealand, and New Zealand Avocado, have already adopted the technology. Adoption rates in the kiwifruit and viticulture sectors are above 30%, while sectors like salmon have seen adoption rates surpassing 80%. New Zealand Winegrowers was among the first to deploy Onside Intelligence to improve traceability within the NZD $2.3 billion viticulture sector.

Sophie Badland, Biosecurity Manager at New Zealand Winegrowers, highlighted the importance of such a system: "From a production perspective, a large number of grapes must be of the right quality for export-quality wine. An incursion of a new pest or disease, like BMSB or Pierce's disease, could affect both grape quality and quantity, posing a significant challenge for our growers. Having a traceability system like Onside Intelligence potentially saves primary industries and the government a lot of time and money in the event of a response. By having movement data readily accessible, we can get ahead of any new damaging pests and diseases, which gives us the best chance of eradication."

Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) also implemented Onside's technology to protect the NZD $4 billion kiwifruit sector from potential pest and disease threats. Leanne Stewart, CEO of KVH, explained, "This is an important project for KVH as we help ensure industry preparedness for biosecurity to protect orchards, businesses, and livelihoods. Onside is adding great value to growers by improving day-to-day best biosecurity practices in a simple, innovative way."

The SFF Futures partnership has further invested $100,000 in a dedicated science programme to ensure Onside's traceability platform remains at the cutting edge of biosecurity technology. The programme includes the development of specialised network algorithms designed to offer insights into potential incursions and optimal response strategies.

Ryan Higgs stated, "Onside has leveraged some of the world's leading scientists to support technology development that provides insights to improve the efficiency of readiness and response. The goal is to detect new incursions as early as possible and minimise impact and cost."

The science programme is governed by an Advisory Committee that includes Dr Mary van Andel, MPI's Chief Veterinary Officer; scientist Professor Santo Fortunato from Indiana University; Google data scientist Dr Hautahi Kingi; and Onside CEO Ryan Higgs.