In farming audits are just another part of managing the business whether it’s livestock, arable or soft fruits.

When Tom Porter left school he was quickly tasked with all the audit preparation for the family business at East Scryne Farm near Carnoustie. Being a mixed farm, Tom swiftly realised that many of the documentation and data needed for the different audits were duplicates.

“I initially thought it would be quite an easy task just managing the paperwork but came to understand just how laborious it is filling out the same information for every different auditing process.” He explained, “Being a mixed business it is a different form for the different enterprises but I was having to repeat so much of the same information. I thought to myself surely there must be an app for this or something but when I looked there really wasn’t anything to help you manage all your different audit data in one place.”

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Tom wanted to find an app that didn’t change the way you managed your business, however most of the farm management software out there did not offer much flexibility.

He described his process: “I wanted to have something more simple that didn’t require the user to change their system.

"I pursued the idea of users just uploading photos of forms as they fill them out, that way they had them all in one place when it came to organising documentation. It is much easier to use without needing to alter how things are done or having to repeatedly print off documents four times for four different folders.”

Tom didn’t have any background in programming or software development but he went on to say “I had a the background in farming which was crucial and meant I knew all about this issue, I don’t think many programmers would have been aware enough to produce the software.”

Tom commissioned developers to produce AgriAudit, an app which he is hoping to launch this coming winter. It will be available on both Apple and Android devices, as well as having a desktop version where the files can be dragged and dropped into the necessary folders.

AgriAudit will be available on a subscription basis which Tom has stressed is based around protecting user data.

“The subscription will be affordable and manageable, I am purely using a subscription model over releasing it for free as the former would guarantee user data is safe and protected.

However there is an option to sign up for an early release version of the app which will be completely free.”

In preparation for the launch, Tom said “I am really excited, I think the sooner we get it rolled out and on farmer’s phones, the sooner we can start to sort of see it potentially improving the audit process and reducing anxiety around it.

I think it is evolving into something quickly that is going to help people and I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise.”

More information about AgriAudit and early access sign up can be found at www.agriaudit.co.uk