Eco-friendly biosecurity solution ready for Australian agrifood market

Biosecurity is the first line of defence for Australian agriculture, renowned for its clean and green reputation. Safeguarding this industry, that aspires to reach $100 billion by 2030, remains a top priority for farmers, agrifood producers, and government regulators alike.

As globalisation surges and new pathogens emerge, traditional chemicals posing significant risks to human health and ecological balance, no longer meet market needs or rising consumer concerns.

UK startup, Residual Barrier Technology (RBT), based in Northamptonshire, has formulated an eco-friendly nebuliser and disinfectant solution, offering diverse industry applications, spanning healthcare, to food and processing environments, with newfound value for Australian agrifood.

“The disruptive technology was set up ten years ago in the UK with an environmental pledge to create biodegradable disinfectants to differentiate from the messy chlorinated hydrogen peroxide that dominates the market,” explains RBT CEO, Adam Shay.

"We entered the agricultural space two years ago, via a South African distributor that we work closely with – running trials in a poultry farm to solve a number of viruses, corrosion and environmental run-off issues."

RBT’s patented dry nebulising technology, Protectus Air™ disperses disinfectant, “that stays in the air for up to six hours, and effectively binds to all surfaces, creating a residual disinfectant barrier with 24-hour protection against viruses, bacteria and fungi,” Adam explains.

“Through a number of independent toxicology reports, our product has been deemed safe for human and animal inhalation for up to 51 hours, killing 99.999% of viruses, bacteria, and fungi – meaning farmers and food producers can ensure consistency of disinfection.”

While having a biodegradable and eco-friendly product is important, Adam says, “kill rates are always going to trump the market, in the biosecurity world, which is what sets RBT apart, as our product does both – sustains the highest kills rates, and is biodegradable.”

RBT is also on the verge of acquiring regulatory EU Biocidal approval to sell its product in the UK and in the European market in Q2 2024, through independent accredited lab testing.

Support from the UK Government’s Innovate UK grant has helped prepare for this launch by establishing key university partnerships to run its field trials and build credibility of the business that’s beneficial when approaching farmers.

“We have a clear strategy for global growth,” Adam explains.

With proven success supporting South Africa’s poultry market for two years; and recent trials in South African grain silos to kill mycotoxins, RBT is now ready to expand its offering for the Australian market, and Brazil soon after.

The Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (University of Melbourne) has estimated the value of Australia's biosecurity system at $314 billion over 50 years in present value terms (2020), with a net return on investment of 30:1.

With a successful showcase at AgriFutures evoke^AG. 2024 as part of the Innovate UK delegation, RBT is now actively seeking local funding partners to support its regulatory pathway, conduct field trials with research organisations, and secure distribution and manufacturing partners in the Australian market.

• Interested in RBT’s eco-friendly biosecurity solution and potentially partnering? Learn more via AgriFutures grow^AG. here.

"We’re looking for motivated partners that understand the biosecurity protocols within the Australian marketplace, have a deep understanding of the sector, and are willing to invest in both scaling the business and supporting our regulatory pathway."

RBT essentially operates as a bulk disinfectant and nebuliser manufacturer and will require partners in each market with capabilities to dilute and distribute the product around the region.  

"We manufacture a concentrated liquid in one-tonne plastic containers that gets diluted down to 33,000 litres, requiring a manufacturing partner capable of bottling, diluting, and transporting products," Adam says.

"Our solution is about having incredibly high efficacy rates while being environmentally friendly, and focusing on areas where we see commercial gain over a long period of time."

RBT’s diversity of application offers huge potential for the Australian market, which led to meaningful conversations with prospective partners during evoke^AG. 2024 in Perth, as part of the Innovate UK delegation to Australia. While RBT's solution delivers value in the poultry and grain sectors, the potential applications are vast and varied:

Agricultural:

• Fruit storage and distribution
• Food production areas
• Medical Cannabis (conducted early-stage trials)

Veterinary:

• Swine
• Cattle
• Dairy
• Sheep and lamb

“It’s been great to be part of the Innovate UK delegation. The support we’ve received has been first-class; from the Western Australian Government; the AgriFutures team, and from grow^AG. – it’s been unbelievable.

“AgriFutures evoke^AG. 2024 has been one of the most motivating conferences and trips I’ve been on in a long time. We've had people come to us after seeing our details on grow^AG., and all they want to talk about is innovation, what's new and what can we do, which has been brilliant to experience.

“As an Australian living in the UK, and dealing with sporting wins and failures, it's nice to come to Australia and be welcomed – it shows the relationship between the UK and Australia, is really strong.”