Proving performance – How optimised ventilation delivers ROI on farm

Before any farm infrastructure investment, the questions the Galebreaker team  hear most  are: “How do we know it will work”, “how will it improve the building environment” and “what outcomes can it support over time”?

We appreciate that ROI is of the utmost importance, which is why Galebreaker’s approach is to prove optimised building performance through engineering evidence, environmental monitoring and practical on-farm assessment.

We want our customers to see that optimised ventilation is a measurable investment in healthier animals, reduced antibiotic usage, more efficient buildings and long-term farm ROI.

Why ventilation matters to farm ROI

To perform well, livestock need fresh air without draughts, protection from weather without trapping moisture, and temperature control without compromising air quality.

The age of the building, ridge design, side inlets, stocking density, prevailing wind, and weather exposure all influence how air moves through the space.

Poor ventilation means stale, humid air remains in the building, contributing to higher pathogen pressure, increased ammonia levels and greater environmental stress. These are all conditions that can undermine welfare and performance.

From an ROI perspective, the cost of poor ventilation can appear as:

• Slower growth
• Poorer feed efficiency
• Higher disease incidence
• Greater labour demand
• Reduced fertility
• Heat stress losses
• More veterinary interventions.

The antibiotic stewardship link

The latest RUMA report shows that UK livestock antibiotic sales have fallen by 57% since 2014, reflecting major progress in responsible antibiotic use across the sector.

This progress, which farmers, vets and the wider industry have worked so hard to deliver, must be protected. The direction is clear – antibiotics should be used responsibly, not routinely, and prevention should sit at the centre of animal health planning.

This is where housing design comes into the conversation.

While ventilation does not replace veterinary advice, vaccination, hygiene, nutrition or good stockmanship, it can help reduce the environmental risk factors behind many health challenges. A risk factor that is often the missing piece when it comes to managing livestock health.

Farm case studies supporting reduced antibiotic use

The link with responsible antibiotic use becomes clearer when we look at respiratory health case studies where Galebreaker solutions have been installed.

At Millmoor Farm, a multi-pronged approach combining vaccination and improved ventilation through the installation of a VentTube Fresh system saw the proportion of calves needing pneumonia treatment fall from 8% to 3%.

At Canon Winder Farm, only five pneumonia cases were recorded from 180 calves after a bespoke VentTube Fresh installation, compared with roughly two new cases per week during previous winters

Ventilation alone is not a silver bullet. But these case studies show that when building design reduces environmental stress and respiratory disease pressure, it can support healthier animals, fewer treatment interventions and stronger financial returns.

Using CFD to prove ventilation performance before installation

One of the ways we test and improve ventilation design is through Computational Fluid Dynamics, or CFD.

CFD allows us to model how air behaves in and around a building or product design. This is particularly valuable because natural ventilation is dynamic. Wind speed, wind direction and temperature all affect building performance.

For Galebreaker’s VentRidge, CFD modelling was used to test performance under a range of cross-wind conditions. That evidence helped demonstrate how the product supports the extraction of warm, contaminated air up to four times more effectively compared with conventional ridge designs.

For producers, this type of modelling matters because it reduces uncertainty.

Rather than relying on opinion, CFD gives us a clearer view of how a ventilation solution is expected to perform before it reaches the farm.

From modelling to on-farm monitoring

Engineering evidence does not stop at product development.

At farm level, performance also needs to be monitored and understood. That is why environmental data is becoming increasingly important when decisions are being made on  livestock housing.

Sensors and control systems can track conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, ammonia and CO₂. Building assessments, smoke testing and heat stress monitoring can also help identify where airflow is working well, where it is restricted and factors that may be contributing towards stress.

This gives producers a more complete picture of the building environment.

If you can measure the problem, design the solution and monitor the result, you can make better investment decisions.

Engineering evidence supports better farm investment decisions

As manufacturers, we have a responsibility to test, measure and prove how our products perform – helping producers make decisions based on evidence rather than guesswork.

That means using CFD during product development, monitoring live building conditions, supported by offering practical assessments on-farm.

It means understanding that ROI is not just about payback on paper, but about improving the conditions animals live in every day.

• When we reduce environmental stress, we support better health.
• When we support better health, we help reduce the need for reactive treatment.
• And when we can prove that through engineering evidence and on-farm data, ventilation becomes a measurable investment in welfare, performance and responsible livestock production.

When we can evidence those improvements – better ventilation can become part of a disease prevention strategy that supports wider antimicrobial stewardship.

If you are assessing ventilation, heat stress, air quality or respiratory health challenges in your livestock buildings, Galebreaker can help you measure the problem, model the solution and monitor the results. Sign up for our dairy newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest developments