The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is funding a Gauteng based start-up, that is developing a diagnostic test kit for early detection of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in livestock traditionally kept in remote and rural areas.

Developed by TokaBio (Pty) Ltd, the Point-of-Care technology empowers livestock farmers to make informed decisions regarding their livestock’s disease status, thus help reduce the spread of FMD in the most efficient way possible.

This 4IR-enabled technology facilitates a quick turnaround time for tests results, enabling farmers to rapidly isolate diseased animals. Normally, it would take a week or two to receive results from laboratories.

The results are made available in just an hour on a mobile device which is also connected to the government regulators’ database providing live information of the disease status of livestock, adding value to the governments’ livestock disease surveillance programme. This strengthens South Africa’s position in terms of beef export operations while also responding to the needs of the domestic livestock market.