Diagnostics company expands exports to Mongolia

BALLYCLARE-based diagnostics company Linnodee has added a customer from Mongolia to its growing list of export destinations.

The company, which specialises in the development of diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, primarily in the livestock sector, received the order last week from a veterinarian in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.

Linnodee will supply the customer with a device for the detection of leptospirosis in pigs. The disease, although under-recognised, is a growing concern in many parts of the world in both humans and animals, and has been the focus of Linnodee’s research operations for some years.

Dr Ernest Logan, company director, said: “We are delighted that our products are generating interest from so far afield. With so many businesses struggling financially, it is reassuring to see that a small Northern Ireland company can make a global impact. I think this is testament to the quality of our products and staff.”

Having recently employed several new staff members including a specialised R&D scientist, Linnodee has been striving over the past months to improve its product performance and expand its global customer base.

The company already supplies leptospirosis kits to many of the leading laboratories in the UK and Ireland, with their bovine leptospirosis kits widely used in cattle health schemes. The tests have been exported to customers throughout Europe and have been used in studies by animal health giant Pfizer, but sales to more distant locations are a boost to exports and their international profile.

The tests were developed in collaboration with experts at the OIE Leptospiral Reference Laboratory in Belfast and have come to market at a time when leptospirosis is increasingly being recognised as a significant cause of productivity losses in the livestock industry.

Dr Logan who is also a research vet, explains: “Leptospirosis is often responsible for reduced fertility and reproductive losses in livestock animals. The problem is that it spreads slowly and is difficult to detect so often the farmer is unaware of the infection and of the reduction in farm profitability caused by it.”

He adds: “Luckily the disease is now receiving more attention, especially as farmers become more business-minded and increasingly work to maximise yields by improving the health of their animals. We expect that countries like Mongolia, who are developing their agricultural sectors, will be a growing market for leptospirosis testing, and we hope that our products can lead the way.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog