Imagine a smart checkout scanner, but for livestock health. Instead of humans manually checking every animal, sensors and AI automatically spot signs of stress or illness as animals move through the slaughterhouse. This creates a digital report card that tells farmers and transporters exactly how to improve their care for the next batch.
Manual animal welfare checks at slaughterhouses are labor-intensive and often slow down production lines. There is a lack of objective, real-time data to provide feedback to farmers and transporters on animal health.
An automated monitoring system consisting of novel sensors, AI algorithms, a feedback interface for supply chain actors, and an Animal Welfare Indicator Catalogue.
If you are a slaughterhouse operator dealing with slow line speeds due to manual welfare checks — this project developed automated sensors and AI algorithms that monitor animal-based indicators without slowing down production.
If you are a tech provider dealing with a lack of validated livestock data — this project developed and tested novel sensor technologies across 6 European production chains to provide a blueprint for commercial welfare tools.
If you are a transporter dealing with unpredictable animal health outcomes upon arrival — this project developed a feedback tool and interface that provides direct data on each batch to help optimize transport conditions.
Based on available project data, the specific price is not mentioned, but the objective is to develop a cost-efficient solution for large-scale evaluation.
Yes, the project is designed for large-scale monitoring and has been tested in 6 broiler chicken and fattening pig production chains across Europe.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not provided, but the project produces an Animal Welfare Indicator Catalogue and 9 Best Practice Guides for external deployment.
Yes, it addresses the need for animal-based measures to complement existing resource-based EU legislation on farm animal welfare.
The project period runs from 2022-11-01 to 2026-10-31, indicating a multi-year development and validation cycle.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 17 industry partners (57% ratio) and 9 SMEs, indicating a strong focus on commercial viability. The collaboration spans 12 countries and balances 5 universities and 6 research institutes, ensuring that the AI and sensor development is grounded in both academic rigor and practical slaughterhouse operations.
Contact the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVRS) in Belgium.
Contact us to access the Animal Welfare Indicator Catalogue and Best Practice Guides.
