Shrimp from HyrdroNeo's research and development farm in Thailand.
Photo: HydroNeo / FAI.
A new initiative has recently been launched in support of sustainable and ethical shrimp farming in Asia, bringing together expertise from both aquaculture digital tech and shrimp welfare standards.
HydroNeo, a Thailand-based company specialising in smart aquaculture solutions for shrimp farmers, is partnering with animal welfare specialists FAI to give shrimp farmers new tools to monitor and improve welfare on their farms.
The collaboration will see FAI’s established shrimp welfare assessment framework integrated into HydroNeo’s digital farm management app, which is already widely used by shrimp farmers throughout Asia, enabling small-scale operators to easily track essential production metrics such as water quality.
By incorporating FAI's welfare technology, the app now offers a more holistic approach to farm management, focusing not just on environmental factors but also on shrimp health and well-being.
“HydroNeo’s mobile farm management application was developed to help shrimp farmers, especially small-scale operators in Asia, to monitor important production factors such as water quality more easily. By supporting farmers to provide the perfect rearing environment, shrimp will thrive. Adding FAI’s shrimp welfare technology to our existing free Smart Farm management app was a logical next step," explained Fabian Reusch, founder and CEO of the Thai-based company and a shrimp farmer himself.
“By improving shrimp welfare on farms, we’re not only helping farmers grow happier animals, but they’ll be healthier and perform better too. As well as meeting the evolving expectations of consumers regarding welfare practices when rearing shrimp, we’re also improving overall farm performance," Reusch added.
Fabian Reusch delivering presentation to farmers on HyrdoNeo's research and development farm.
Photo: HydroNeo.
FAI, a leading organisation in animal welfare projects, said it recognized the importance of partnering with a reputable, Thailand-based organization like HydroNeo to make a significant impact in one of the world’s largest shrimp-producing regions.
“Through our partnership with HydroNeo there’s huge scope to not only improve the lives of shrimp, but also the performance and profitability of shrimp farmers in Asia,” said Marius Nicolini, FAI’s Software Product Manager.
“By using HydroNeo’s existing technology to help spread the awareness and use of our science-based welfare assessment framework, we’ll have a significant and positive impact on how shrimp are reared in the region.”
Since its 2020 debut, HydroNeo’s "smart farm" solutions have been adopted by hundreds of shrimp farms, which the company says enables continuous monitoring and automation through IoT technology. The app, now available for free, has been downloaded by thousands of farmers across the region.
The collaboration between the two organizations is also driven by a shared commitment to enhancing farm sustainability, the partners say. According to Reusch, shrimp raised in lower-stress environments with a focus on welfare have shown better growth and disease resistance, leading to a 13% increase in productivity. The partnership will help farmers implement proactive measures to minimize stress and disease, in support of the growing demand for more sustainable aquaculture practices.
In addition to welfare tools, HydroNeo will also promote FAI’s free online Shrimp Welfare Course, available through the FAI Academy website, to further support farmers’ education on welfare practices.
“In partnership with HydroNeo, we hope to positively impact the shrimp sector in Asia and promote welfare improvements that benefit shrimp farmers and the shrimp in their care,” added Nicolini. “We’ll continue to support HydroNeo as it develops other farm management applications and increase the scope of its welfare-centred outreach work.”
HydroNeo’s Smart Farm app is now available for free on both iOS and Android platforms.
