Farms participating in the Arla UK 360 scheme will use Herdvision’s 3D imagery systems to identify changes in physical wellbeing, mobility and weight in cows. The use of visual monitoring, data recording and artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in managing cow welfare is expected to remove human subjectivity. The automation of monitoring body conditioning, mobility and herd health could become a key element to Arla’s “Happy Cow” standard if the trial is successful.

“The scanner is very compact. It is positioned in a place wher it can capture all cows daily, usually near the milking parlour. As the cow walks under it, 3D scanning assesses the body condition and the mobility of the cow,” Graham Wilkinson, Agricultural Director, Arla Foods tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Much like humans reacting differently when being filmed, cows can do the same, explains Duncan Forbes, Dairy Research Director of Kingshay, the technology’s developer. “Studies show that cows behave differently if they think they are being watched, affecting the way they walk or move,” he adds. “It is ingrained primitive behavior not to show weakness and even though cows have been domesticated for thousands of years, the mindset of best foot forward still seems prevalent in today’s animals. Overcoming that issue, and with artificial intelligence built into the system, this system will measure and identify changes to cow health based on each individual cow’s own health record.”

Herdvision’s technology allows the cow to move during scanning, which makes usage easier and more accurate than other systems on the market, Arla says. The system was developed by Kingshay working in partnership with the Centre for Machine Vision in the Bristol Robotics Lab at the University of the West of England and AgsenZe.

The technology is not exclusive to Arla but they are taking a very proactive role in helping with the current development program in the UK to create a technology package specifically aligned to their producers, says Forbes.

“Technology has moved on so much in the last decade and it is providing new opportunities to further enhance animal health on farms. The systems trialed by Arla UK 360 farmers give a picture of each individual animal’s health that humans working alone could only dream of seeing. Identifying early signs of change has a positive impact across the board, from overall cow wellbeing, to better milk production, a reduced need for medication and increased fertility rates,” says Arthur Fearnell, elected Arla Board member and one of the Arla farmer owners currently transitioning to the Arla UK 360 programme with the support of UK supermarket Morrisons.

The trial will continue until enough results have been gathered to allow for an evidence-based decision about the technology’s proven benefits. The technology could continue to be used as part of Arla’s vision for using future technology to bring physical and behavioral wellbeing metrics together into one overall picture of animal wellbeing.

“Technology and innovations opening up further improvements in the health and welfare of livestock are exciting. Having organized trials for these tools to help Arla UK 360 farmers enhance their already leading standards is encouraging and a further demonstration of why we wanted to adopt the 360 standards in full for the farms who supply us. Our customers care about animal welfare, so to know that these trials can improve the wellbeing of the animals supplying their milk is reassuring,” says Sophie Throup, Senior Agriculture Manager at Morrisons.

Arla has been moving towards AI, with a new tool to predict milk intake being rolled out last month. This will allow the company to use 200 million kilos of milk more efficiently. This technology integration is being used to help Arla Foods reach its goal of having net-zero carbon by 2050.

“There have been significant increases in the use of technology over recent years with robotic milking parlors and the use of on-farm technology such as drones becoming much more common. As it becomes more affordable, technology brings opportunities for increased efficiency, health monitoring and insight into the running of farm businesses,” concludes Wilkinson.