Experiences with Precision Livestock Farming in European Farms

摘要

Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is the fully automated continuous monitoring of(individual) animals by using modem information and communications technology (sensors,cameras, microphones, etc.) as part of the management system.PLF assists livestock producers through automated, continuous monitoring and improvement of the status of the animals.A number of PLF tools have been developed at laboratory levels as prototypes and as commercial products that are now available for farmers.The overall objective of a running EU-PLF project is to support farmers using PLF solutions in commercial farms and to experience/analyse how these products can improve value for the farmers in practice.The objective of this paper is to share some results of this project.Twenty farms (5 broiler, 10 fattening pig, and 5 milking cow farms) spread over Europe have been selected and PLF equipment has been installed.In these farms, sensor data, images and sound data are stored and PLF algorithms run on these data.During farm visits manual scores are rated by using the Welfare Quality Protocols to score these farms on animal welfare.The PLF systems calculated "PLF scores" based upon fully automated continuous monitoring.It is analysed whether the PLF scores do correspond to the Welfare Quality scores that were rated in parallel.Farmers have been using the technology while visits and meetings have been organised to understand their response to the use of these systems on the commercial farms.Results of these events are reported and discussed.