Optimising feedback of computerized meat inspection findings and Precision Livestock Farming monitors on farm to improve pig health, welfare and carcass quality

Previous work has validated carcass lesions as a diagnostic tool for pig health and welfare and confirmed that such information, supplemented with data on lung health, would be invaluable in informing herd health and welfare management plans. One of the knowledge gaps identified was in the design of intervention strategies to address the information provided by the abattoir on carcass and lung lesions. Our hypothesis is that there is a correlation between Precision Livestock Farming technology measurements and both carcass and viscera lesions and meat quality at the abattoir. By deploying PLF technology for pig respiratory health monitoring on-farm, we can quantify this relationship and design intervention strategies such that we can demonstrate the economic benefit of employing the feedback loop between farm and abattoir. To ensure wider adoption of PLF solutions in the pig industry, their implementation must be cost-effective. In this project, real-time algorithms will be developed to transform data from different sensor modalities into an early warning systems based on a minimum number of PLF sensors.