Sainsbury’s has announced an investment into new AI veterinary technology to measure and enhance animal welfare on dairy farms.
The retailer said the artificial technology could “revolutionise” the approach to cattle care.
In partnership with Vet Vision AI, a new company from the University of Nottingham, Sainsbury’s is trialling new technology which has been designed to spot when cows are happy and healthy, and why.
The cows are monitored through low-cost and portable cameras which can be used by vets on multiple farms.
The AI works by recognising patterns in behaviour, analysing and turning video footage into real-time, accurate data.
As well as monitoring behaviour, the AI will offer farmers suggestions on ways to further improve the animals’ lifestyles.
Examples of this include housing improvements for better comfort and animal engagement and providing enrichment such as cow brushes, similar to a back scratcher, to reduce stress.
AI monitoring
The ability for round the clock monitoring enables more informed decision making, as farmers will have unique insights into cow welfare that they may not be able to identify with standard vet visits, Sainsbury’s said.
The continuous analysis of behaviour also allows for a ‘test and learn’ approach to the suggested welfare tactics.
Beyond the benefits for the animal, the retailer said the technology promotes a step forward in farming efficiency as a healthy cow means a more productive cow.
Currently on 30 of Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group farms, the aim is to roll out the technology further next year.
Vet and agriculture manager at Sainsbury’s, Dr Matt Turner, said: “Investing in British farming and continuously improving animal health and welfare are key priorities for us and this innovative new technology will mean we can help both farmer and animal.
“Our dairy farmers that are using the technology are already seeing real benefits and we look forward to expanding it to our wider network of Dairy Development Group farms soon.”
Animal welfare
Veterinary surgeon at Synergy Farm Health, Dr Tom Angel, said: “Vet Vision AI has allowed us to identify positive animal welfare on farms, such as increased lying times and cow comfort, as well as management factors that need addressing to improve these outputs.
“The use of the computer vision technology has then been able to assess the impact of any changes we have implemented, objectively revealing how the animals have responded positively to the environmental and management changes.”
Prof in cattle health at the University of Nottingham, Dr James Breen, said: “I have begun to use this AI technology with dairy herd health clients as part of our routine monitoring of health and welfare.
“The ability of the system to observe the cows’ natural behaviours without disturbing the animals, and to turn these observations into hard outcomes, is of huge value when planning interventions to improve foot health, udder health, fertility performance and so on.”
Dairy farmer at Gleadthorpe Farm, Dave Bacon, said: “I know that happy, comfortable cows produce more milk, but accurately measuring and knowing how to improve cow comfort can be challenging.
“Using Vet Vision AI, we were able to measure how comfort levels improved after we upgraded our housing and put new cow mattresses in. Knowing that my cows are more comfortable as a result means I can feel confident the investment was worth it.”
