He European ClearFarm projectcoordinated from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)has been developed and validated the first digital animal welfare monitoring platform that integrates, analyzes and displays the information collected by various sensors installed on farms. The resulting tool enables consumers and farmers to make informed decisions about purchasing animal food and caring for animals at different stages of their lives.
The presentation of the prototype platform will be presented today at the final conference of the project in Brussels, bringing together approximately 200 representatives from different sectors of animal production from across Europe, under the title ‘Animal Welfare at the Heart of the Food Chain in Europe. Digital innovation for a sustainable transition.
ClearFarm: pioneer and multifunctional
ClearFarm proposes using precision farming technology and integrating animal-based data to improve animal welfare throughout the production chain. Through various sensors placed on both the farms and the animals, it monitors a wide range of variables related to the animals’ behavior, their physical and mental health, environmental impact and productivity.
The platform collects this data and uses an algorithm to provide easy-to-understand animal welfare information, adapted to each target group. On the one hand, farmers can use a website to see up-to-date information about the status of the animals, focusing on warning signs that can help them anticipate problems and make changes or improvements. On the other hand, consumers can learn the welfare history of the meat product they are purchasing by, for example, scanning a QR code on the label, which takes them to a website with the information.
“With this platform we want to contribute to achieving a more sustainable production of pig and dairy cattle, the two livestock farming systems with the most production in Europe, and with more respect for the environment.” animal welfare“explains Xavier Manteca, professor at the Department of Animal and Food Sciences of the UAB and coordinator of ClearFarm.
The platform has been validated on dairy farms and its development has enabled advances in the understanding of the technology required for animal welfare management in pigs. “The results will facilitate the design of reliable sensors adapted to the different stages of pig production,” says Xavier Manteca.
ClearFarm It is the result of four years of research between UAB, the universities of Murcia (Spain), Wageningen (Netherlands), Milan (Italy), Aarhus (Denmark) and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Lucas, Finland). With a budget of 6.5 million euros, scientists from different disciplines participated: animal welfare, computer and sensor technology, sociology and environmental aspects, working together with regulators, consumers, producers, policy makers and other relevant stakeholders.
ClearFarm comes at a crucial time for European livestock farming
The new platform comes at a crucial time for the continent’s livestock industry, with the mobilization of various social and economic sectors in favor of a revision of current European animal welfare legislation.
“European citizens are increasingly concerned about animal welfare and the EU has responded to this social demand through legislation. ClearFarm has integrated a solution that responds to the need for proper evaluation of the animal welfare with the opportunities offered by precision farming technologies, emphasizing the link between animal welfare and sustainability and environmental efficiency,” concludes Manteca.
ClearFarm – hands-on demo and roundtable discussion
The final conference of the project will include a practical demonstration of the platform designed to familiarize the public with the system’s capabilities ClearFarmled by the leaders of the different phases of the work: Xavier Manteca, from the UABElisabetta Canali, from the University of Milan, and Eddie Bokkers, from Wageningen University (WUR), as well as Joan Serra, from the UABPaul Ingenbleek, from WUR, and Jarkko Niemi, from the Natural Resources Institute of Finland (Luke), to describe the development process and operational details of the platform.
It also includes a round table with an intersectoral panel of representatives from agriculture, industry, academia, NGOs and government: Pol Llonch, from the UAB and technical coordinator of ClearFarm; Miguel Ángel Higuera of Copa-Cogeca; Andrea Gavinelli, from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE); Mar Maestre, from the ICF, and Stephanie Ghislain, from Eurogroup for Animals. The debate, moderated by environmental journalist Andrea Bertaglio, focuses on the challenges of developing innovative solutions for the comprehensive assessment of environmental issues animal welfare and the contribution of ClearFarm to the current needs of different stakeholders.
Similar research experiences funded by the EU on animal welfare and digitalisation, such as the TechCare, aWISH and PPILLOW projects, to analyze common challenges and discuss how research collaboration between different initiatives adds value to improving agriculture across Europe.