All about compliance

Innovative Irish family creates new software to facilitate EU paperwork.

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After studying at Greenmount Agricultural College, Gareth Devenney returned to work on his family farm. 

While sorting compliance-related paperwork, for inspection by Bord­Bia, the Irish Food Board, he felt there must be an easier way. Brother Jason, who had studied IT technology at Kingston University in the UK some years earlier, provided the answer, and FARMFLO, a cloud-based farm management software, was born.

Their system allows data to be input either via a smart phone in the field or direct into the computer. Press the relevant phone key and the information is transferred to the computer. No phone signal? No problem. The system automatically waits until one is established and then uploads the information.

Interest from private investors

Initially Gareth gave FARMFLO to friends who liked it. From this small beginning the system grew quickly; it was picked up by Enterprise Ireland and there then followed a rash of feasibility studies and presentations to funding bodies with the system going out to 200 test farmers. 

Today the FARMFLO business operates from offices in CoLab at Letterkenny’s Institute of Technology and employs a staff of eight. Interestingly all staff have a farming background of some type. It means that whoever is talking to farmers or dealing with the farming industry in general, they understand the business. 

The company has also attracted the attention of two private investors, which has allowed Jason plus others on contract to develop new systems. They plan to split and develop the beef and dairy cattle programme into separate entities and to develop systems for sheep and poultry farmers. 

First Valtra tractors in Donegal

While Jason is developing new systems, Gareth spends many hours on the road visiting shows, farmers meetings and the like promoting the system. Gareth also runs the family farms with the help of one sister. 

On the farm Gareth relies on Valtra tractors. The first on the farm, and in Donegal, was a 100-horsepower 6400 purchased in 1996. This was exchanged for an 8050 in 2001 and a T130 in 2006. Last year Gareth invested in four cylinders and an N143 with 160 horsepower. 

Gareth likes driving Valtras when he’s preparing the ground and planting cereals or managing the grassland. Alongside grass, the farm grows winter barley and oats plus spring barley – three different crops are required by the EU. To be compliant the Deven-ney’s have to prove it, which is now that much easier thanks to their own innovation, FARMFLO.