‘I enjoy farming again': How a Galway farmer is beating paperwork stress

Agriland

28-05-2025

For many Irish farmers, the dread of paperwork and audits can take the joy out of what they love most, farming.
But for Galway suckler farmer Donal Canniffe, switching to smart farm management with Herdwatch has brought that joy back.
By simplifying his record-keeping and giving him full control over compliance, Donal says his audits are no longer a source of panic, they are 'the easiest part of the job'.
Donal runs a productive suckler system with 22 cows and a Red Angus bull. The family farm, passed down from his father, is part of the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme, meaning compliance is a non-negotiable part of farm life.
Like many, Donal once relied on paper records and memory to track treatments, purchases, and calf registrations. But that system was fragile.
Donal said: 'I used to record everything on paper and I'd probably lose the paper before the audit came around.'
The paperwork pressure
For years, getting ready for an audit meant scrambling – leafing through notebooks, re-checking remedy dates, and hoping nothing vital had been overlooked.
'Before Herdwatch, the thought of an audit was enough to cause serious stress,' Donal said.
Bord Bia inspections, while essential, can be stressful for busy farmers.
That stress often does not come from doing anything wrong, it comes from not being sure if everything is properly recorded and easy to access.
For Donal, the anxiety around audits began to undermine the rhythm of day-to-day farm work.
From guesswork to confidence
Everything changed when Donal started using Herdwatch. The app allowed him to log records in real time, from medicine usage to calf registrations, directly from his phone – the simplicity and time savings were instant.
'Now, with Herdwatch, getting ready for an audit is the easiest part of the job,' he claimed.
'As long as everything is logged in the app, I just generate the reports I need, and it's done in seconds.'
No more last-minute panic. No more chasing down scraps of paper.
Donal says it gave him something far more valuable than just efficiency – peace of mind.
Remedy records, simplified
Out of all the features available, Donal says the remedy tracking function stands out the most.
As soon as a medicine is purchased, it is logged in the app, and usage is automatically deducted from stock when treatments are recorded.
'As soon as I buy a remedy, I log it in Herdwatch straight away, No need for the Blue Book,' Donal said.
'Then when I treat an animal, it updates the stock and tells me exactly how much is left.'
This not only reduces waste and over-purchasing, but also eliminates uncertainty around withdrawal periods and dosage levels.
'It tells me how much is left. No more guesswork,' Donal explained.
A full toolbox for the modern farmer
Herdwatch now forms the backbone of how Donal manages his herd. From breeding insights to weight recording and movement certs, the app ties all parts of the operation together.
'Now all the info is at my fingertips, It's very easy to use. Nothing complicated about it,' Donal said.
His daily tasks are smoother, and everything, from calvings to heat observations can be logged instantly.
That kind of visibility helps Donal make better decisions, without needing to keep it all in his head or scattered across notebooks and in paperwork.
Donal's top features
Calf Registration
Remedy & Treatments
Heat Detection Records
Ag Food/ICBF Sync (Star rating/AI Records)
Movement Certificates
Feed Records
'Once you start using it, you won't go back'
When asked if he would recommend Herdwatch to others, Donal does not hesitate.
'It just makes life easier,' he said.
'Once you start using it, you won't go back. It's one of the best investments made on the farm.'
It is a sentiment shared by thousands of Herdwatch members across Ireland.
For Donal, it is not just about technology, it is about farming smarter and rediscovering the satisfaction in running a well-managed farm.
Herdwatch did not just help Donal pass his audits, it helped him take back his evenings, reduce his paperwork stress, and start enjoying farming again.