First globally: UK retailer invests in AI tech for dairy welfare
Sainsbury’s has become the first retailer in the world to invest in new AI veterinary technology which is being used to measure and enhance positive animal welfare on dairy farms.
Vet Vision AI, a spin-out company from the University of Nottingham, is monitoring cows 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 animals’ lifestyles. These could include:
- Housing improvements for better comfort and animal engagement.
- Providing enrichment such as cow brushes to reduce stress.
The ability for round-the-clock monitoring enables more informed decision-making, as farmers will have a unique insight into cow welfare that they may not be able to identify otherwise. The continuous analysis of behaviour also allows for a ‘test and learn’ approach to the suggested welfare tactics.
Early detection on dairy farms
While the use of AI on farms is expanding, what sets this technology apart is the ability to show when a cow is thriving, as opposed to just spotting illnesses and ailments. The constant monitoring can also identify diseases early, preventing vets having to treat disease later.
Dairy farmer Dave Bacon, of Gleadthorpe Farms, Mansfield, who sells his milk to Sainsbury’s via Muller, says: “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.”
Beyond the benefits for the animals, the tech promotes a step forward in farming efficiency as a healthy cow means a more productive one. If, for example, the AI advises improving cow comfort through increased lying down time, this then may lead to better leg health and more milk produced for the same amount of feed, as the cow is stronger on its hooves.
Dr James Breen, a professor in Cattle Health at the University of Nottingham, said he was using the technology with dairy herd clients: “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 and fertility performance.”
Dr Matt Turner, vet and agriculture manager at Sainsbury’s, said investing and continuously improving animal health and were key priorities for the retailer: “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.”
Dr Tom Angel, Synergy Farm Health vet, said: “Vet Vision AI allows 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.”
The equipment is currently on 30 of Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group farms with the aim to roll out the technology further next year.
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