Presentation - How to test alarm systems

Presentation for the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority: The importance of reliable alarm tests in livestock farming

Last week we had the honor of presenting at the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority's Technical Poultry and Pig Days. A large group of 75+ inspectors came together to discuss important topics.

The main question of our session was: How do you test alarm systems (effectively)? Sjaak Wijen and Guus Gommans had the honour of giving the presentation. 

Why alarm systems are crucial

In poultry and pig farming, a reliable alarm system is vital for the animals. A failed or non-functioning alarm can have major consequences for animal health, safety and business operations. Therefore, it is very important to be able to test and check alarm systems.

FarmAlarm: a smart and integrated solution

During our presentation, we introduced FarmAlarm, our total solution for reliable alarm notifications. FarmAlarm is used to forward alarms from final controllers such as the Pig-KL series and Poultry-PL series. This creates a complete communication system with all Stienen equipment, without third-party components. The benefits are that information is not only directly available, but also detailed. This allows the user to take action immediately.

FarmAlarm immediately reports:

• Which computer is giving an alarm
• Which alarm is present in this computer

A valuable discussion

Our session led to interesting discussions and valuable insights. How can livestock farmers meet the Dutch legal requirements? What is the most important thing about testing alarm systems?

Our vision is that testing an alarm system should not pose a risk to animal welfare. With FarmAlarm, we offer a solution that seamlessly aligns with current laws and regulations according to the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

This is thanks to:

• Built-in test buttons – simple test options without operational disruption.
• Automatic data logging – all alarms are logged and made transparent.
• Immediate alarm notifications – via voice call and push message, for extra security.

It was an inspiring morning thanks to the engaged audience, where exchanging knowledge was central!

Want to know more about FarmAlarm? Contact us here or check out the product page here