AI tools to monitor cow welfare rolled out across M&S dairy farms
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has become the first retailer to use artificial intelligence (AI)-powered systems on its dairy farms to monitor animal welfare.
The system is being rolled out across its entire milk pool of 46 dairy farms in the UK.
The tools use cameras to capture footage of dairy cows when they are indoors, which is then analysed using an algorithm trained alongside vets to monitor the cows' welfare in real time.This technology uses AI-powered video analytics to build an individual health profile for each animal, tracking mobility and body condition scoring over time to give farmers objective, consistent data on the wellbeing of their herd.
The tools monitor the cow’s behaviour including lying time, feeding time, social interactions and mobility to generate a ‘cow comfort score’.
This score will support vets in their assessment of individual cows' health during regular, in-person, welfare checks.
Terry Canning, CEO of the monitoring company Cattle Eye said: “Changes in body condition are early indicators of metabolic health, fertility, and overall wellbeing.
“Tracking those changes more regularly, across every cow, gives farmers a level of insight that was previously unavailable outside research environments.”
The algorithm supporting the tool has been tested and found to perform to the same standard as a trained welfare assessor.
Tools
These tools are being rolled out across the entire milk pool following trials at a selection of M&S dairy farms, where farmers have used the technology to make changes to tailor care to individual cow’s needs.
By measuring lying times, farmers have made changes to the bedding of individual cows to improve their comfort based on their specific size and shape.
Feeding schedules have been adapted to reduce the amount of time cows spend standing and the design of some stalls has been adapted to improve cow comfort.Head of agriculture at M&S Food, Peter Kennedy said: “M&S has always had market-leading welfare standards.
"As we continue to support British farmers in this latest evolution of welfare monitoring, powered by AI, it will support farmers to give the best care to dairy cows.
“This latest innovation supports our ‘Plan A for Farming’ to build resilience in British farming and continue to raise the bar on animal welfare.”
Map of Ag veterinary consultant, Jenny Allan said: "M&S has had a longstanding focus on animal health and welfare, which has been in place for more than 15 years.
"Going forwards, AI technology will enable real-time cow comfort and health parameters to be monitored, providing valuable insights across 46 farms."
Animal welfare
CEO of CattleEye, Terry Canning said: "M&S has set a standard that the rest of the industry will be measured against.
"Deploying AI welfare monitoring across an entire supply chain is a first.
"This means we can give farmers and consumers peace of mind that productive herds can be healthy herds."
According to M&S. the company has invested more than £7 million over the last decade in supporting farmers with agricultural innovation.
It is making a further £7 million is available over the next five years.
This is the latest innovation supported by M&S as part of its Plan A for Farming.
Earlier innovations include a trial of flooring in the M&S-funded upgraded milking parlour on one of the M&S milk pool farms; and a trial measuring methane from Aberdeen Angus cows to support breeding a lower emission cow.
In 2025, a trial using the latest technology to farm a field of parsnips, delivering more, higher quality veg with a reduced carbon footprint.
