Digital swine traceability solution tracks
swine throughout their lifecycle
Investment complements Merck Animal Health’s
broad portfolio of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and
technology solutions
Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the
United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), announced today that it has completed
a minority investment in LeeO Precision Farming B.V. (LeeO). Merck
Animal Health also will assume distribution of LeeO’s digital swine
traceability solution in selected markets over the coming months.
Merck Animal Health joins LeeO’s existing founders and
shareholders, Prairie Systems, Inc., a strategic investment of
United Animal Health, Inc., and MIQ B.V. Specific terms of the
minority investment were not disclosed.
LeeO, a privately held company located in Deventer, the
Netherlands, provides a cloud-based, real-time digital swine
traceability solution for farmers, producers and retailers to
continuously track and analyze swine from birth throughout their
lifecycle. The cloud-based technology platform provides users with
the capability to record and track major life events in swine
production, including genetics, insemination, birth registration,
vaccination, age, weight, weaning, location and transportation. The
platform is supported by an ecosystem of RFID-based hardware
technology, such as ear tags, readers and weigh scales.
“Through this agreement, we are linking Merck Animal Health’s
breadth and depth in animal health intelligence technology
solutions with LeeO’s innovative digital swine traceability
platform, which can help to change the way all phases of swine
production interact and make decisions,” said Jeroen van de Ven,
lead, Animal Health Intelligence, Merck Animal Health. “Our animal
health solutions, including our identification, traceability and
monitoring capabilities, and investment in LeeO will help
accelerate this technology development and advance the health and
well-being of animals. We look forward to our partnership with LeeO
and to continue to build the future of livestock traceability
solutions, which can further create a connected and integrated
ecosystem for the global livestock market.”
LeeO Chief Executive Officer Peter ter Linde said, “This
investment from Merck Animal Health is an exciting development for
LeeO and will be used to fuel our growth and investment in our
leading digital animal traceability solution for swine. It also
signals Merck Animal Health’s ongoing commitment to swine health,
well-being and management and laser focus on accelerating animal
traceability solutions in livestock to improve animal health. We
believe Merck Animal Health’s investment will further accelerate
the growth and value of our company.”
“Adding Merck Animal Health to the ownership of LeeO will
certainly allow for growth at a faster pace, which is great for the
swine industry,” said Doug Webel, Ph.D., president and chief
executive officer of United Animal Health, Inc., a strategic
partner of LeeO for food chain visibility and analytics. “We view
this agreement as a key step to advancing this technology and
animal traceability for better animal health.”
Evidence-based animal traceability solutions have helped to
safeguard and strengthen the integrity of the food supply chain.
Traceability solutions, such as LeeO’s digital traceability
platform, provides customers with information that identifies and
traces the origin, history, production and distribution throughout
the lifecycle of the pig to validate sustainability claims by
detailing how animals are raised and processed.
About Merck Animal Health At Merck, known as MSD outside of the
United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use
the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around
the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of
research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative
health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck
Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J.,
USA, is the global animal health business of Merck. Through its
commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal
Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments
one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines
and health management solutions and services as well as an
extensive suite of connected technology that includes
identification, traceability and monitoring products. Merck Animal
Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health,
well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for
them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D
resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is
present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available
in some 150 markets. For more information, visit
www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on LinkedIn,
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway,
N.J., USA This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway,
N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements
are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the
company’s management and are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks
or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United States and internationally;
global trends toward health care cost containment; technological
advances, new products and patents attained by competitors;
challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining
regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict
future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays;
financial instability of international economies and sovereign
risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and
other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the
company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220927005283/en/
Media: Gail S. Thornton (908) 392-3420
gail.thornton@merck.com
Noreen Verbrugge (973) 937-5450 noreen.verbrugge@merck.com
Investor: Peter Dannenbaum (908) 740-1047
peter.dannenbaum@merck.com
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