Virbac and MACSO Forge Exclusive Strategic Partnership to Advance Swine Health with AI-Powered Monitoring

Global animal health leader Virbac secures exclusive distribution rights for MACSO’s breakthrough respiratory monitoring technology across Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

March, 2026

Virbac, a global leader in animal health, today announced an exclusive strategic agreement with MACSO, a New Zealand-head quartered innovator in artificial intelligence and sensor fusion. Under this agreement, Virbac will hold exclusive distribution rights for MACSO’s cutting-edge AI swine health monitoring solution across its affiliate network in Europe, Latin America, and Asia (excluding, Australia, China and the United States).

Respiratory diseases are a primary threat to global swine production, causing up to 60% of deaths worldwide. Traditional detection often relies on human observation or fixed treatment schedules, which can be reactive and inefficient. Our solution transforms this landscape by utilizing advanced environmental and audio-based AI to "listen" for early signs of illness.

The technology has been proven to detect respiratory distress between 16 hours and 6 days before clinical symptoms become audible to the human ear, reduce death rate of animals due to respiratory illness and improve feed conversion rate. By providing 24/7 monitoring of acoustics, temperature and humidity, it empowers producers to transition from reactive treatment to proactive, data-driven health management.

This multi-year, multinational partnership with a future roadmap of co-developing additional capabilities reflects a shared commitment by Virbac and MACSO Technologies to advance precision livestock farming through innovation, data, and responsible animal care. By combining Virbac’s global reach and expertise in animal health with MACSO’s cutting-edge AI capabilities, the collaboration aims to support producers in improving animal welfare, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use, and strengthening the sustainability and resilience of swine production systems worldwide.

Solutions like these also contribute to lowering the carbon footprint of livestock production by reducing preventable animal losses and help address ongoing labour and skilled workforce shortages on farms by enabling more efficient, data-driven management.

"This partnership brings a digital 'sixth sense' to the stable, allowing us to detect the invisible days before it becomes inevitable. By integrating MACSO’s advanced AI into our Suigen Range, we are delivering on our 'One Health' commitment to improve animal welfare while promoting the responsible use of antibiotics through precise, data-driven intervention.” said Christian Burkhardt, Head of Corporate Business Development of Virbac.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Virbac, a company that shares our vision for the future of farming and the role of AI as a force for good. Virbac’s deep commitment to animal health, innovation, and sustainable agriculture makes them an ideal partner to bring our technology to producers around the world. Together, we are enabling a shift toward more proactive, data-driven care that improves animal welfare, supports farmers, and builds a more resilient and responsible food system.” said Saba Samiei, Founder and CEO of MACSO Technologies.

Saum Vahdat, The CEO of Bridgewest Ventures New Zealand, the lead investor at MACSO Technologies said: “We at Bridgewest Ventures are thrilled about this exclusive strategic partnership with Virbac. This collaboration marks one of the earliest and most impactful forays of advanced AI into animal health, bringing proactive, data-driven monitoring to animal producers on a global scale. Virbac stands out as an exceptionally strong partner and collaborator—sharing our vision for innovation, animal welfare, and sustainable agriculture, which perfectly aligns with and accelerates our AI roadmap. Through this alliance, MACSO’s cutting-edge technology will propel forward at an unprecedented pace, delivering accelerated real-world impact, reducing losses, and advancing more resilient, responsible food systems worldwide.”

  About Virbac - Caring for animals together

At Virbac, we are constantly exploring new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the majority of animal pathologies. We develop care, hygiene and nutrition products to offer complete solutions to veterinarians, farmers and pet owners around the world. Our purpose: advancing the health of animals with those who care for them every day, so we can all live better together.

More information on corporate.virbac.com

 About MACSO - Design thinking the future

MACSO Technologies is an innovative New Zealand–based technology company specialising in AI and sensor fusion for precision animal health and early disease detection. The company develops advanced edge-computing AI that processes complex environmental data to deliver actionable insights for the agriculture sector. Its first commercialised solution focuses on swine health, using cutting-edge data and AI models to detect respiratory illness—reducing mortality, improving feed efficiency, and lowering antibiotic use. MACSO also provides consultancy services to animal health organisations, supporting partners in leveraging data and AI to enhance disease management and animal welfare.

More information on www.MACSO.ai