Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TechCare (Integrating innovative TECHnologies along the value Chain to improve small ruminant welfARE management)
Période du rapport: 2020-09-01 au 2022-02-28
Although precision livestock farming (PLF) and innovative digital technologies (DT) are widely adopted in management of high-value animals, they have not yet been applied in species where animals are considered to have a lower individual value or less economic interest as is the case in small ruminants (SR). This is despite the very significant welfare and production efficiency advantages that can be achieved by applying PLF and DT in these contexts. Animal welfare is about the individual sum of suffering or pleasure that accrues to the individual over the course of its life. SR, however, are often managed as a group and only average welfare state might be considered. A PLF approach to welfare management in these species could allow the individual animal to be identified within the group, so that nutrition, health care or other welfare aspects can be individualized and managed.
The welfare of domestic animals bred for food production is frequently the cause of public concern and, consequently, much EU legislation and research have been devoted to regulate and improve it. The welfare of SR, however, is often overlooked as these animals are generally less frequently kept in the types of confinement systems that cause the greatest public concern. This does not mean that SR are free from welfare compromise. The very significant welfare challenges experienced by SR in all systems are prime targets for welfare management by application of PLF and DT across the whole value chain, to the benefit of society.
The overall objective of TechCare is to explore and demonstrate innovative DT to develop early warning systems (EWS) to improve welfare management in SR farming systems.
TechCare will tackle the challenge of using innovative and low-cost DT, adapted to the husbandry of SR systems across the EU. The project covers most stages of SR production and builds on state-of-the-art animal welfare approaches to develop and validate innovative digital tools, EWS and indicators for efficient identification of welfare issues, which can be included in welfare management models.
To achieve this, TechCare will:
1) Prioritise SR welfare issues in a spectrum of systems and conditions.
2) Co-design innovative approaches with stakeholders, to improve welfare management using innovative DT and EWS.
3) Identify, prototype and test different innovative DT for measuring prioritised welfare issues and animal-based indicators.
4) Establish integrated data management approaches along the whole value chain with a focus on improved animal welfare management and design EWS.
5) Validate a set of ‘ready-to- use’ DT under large scale farm conditions in different operational environments.
6) Propose relevant and sustainable business models to boost innovative DT uptake.
7) Establish progressive communication and dissemination of project’ outputs by different channels and ensure an efficient exploitation of results.
The welfare of domestic animals bred for food production is frequently the cause of public concern and, consequently, much EU legislation and research have been devoted to regulate and improve it. The welfare of SR, however, is often overlooked as these animals are generally less frequently kept in the types of confinement systems that cause the greatest public concern. This does not mean that SR are free from welfare compromise. The very significant welfare challenges experienced by SR in all systems are prime targets for welfare management by application of PLF and DT across the whole value chain, to the benefit of society.
The overall objective of TechCare is to explore and demonstrate innovative DT to develop early warning systems (EWS) to improve welfare management in SR farming systems.
TechCare will tackle the challenge of using innovative and low-cost DT, adapted to the husbandry of SR systems across the EU. The project covers most stages of SR production and builds on state-of-the-art animal welfare approaches to develop and validate innovative digital tools, EWS and indicators for efficient identification of welfare issues, which can be included in welfare management models.
To achieve this, TechCare will:
1) Prioritise SR welfare issues in a spectrum of systems and conditions.
2) Co-design innovative approaches with stakeholders, to improve welfare management using innovative DT and EWS.
3) Identify, prototype and test different innovative DT for measuring prioritised welfare issues and animal-based indicators.
4) Establish integrated data management approaches along the whole value chain with a focus on improved animal welfare management and design EWS.
5) Validate a set of ‘ready-to- use’ DT under large scale farm conditions in different operational environments.
6) Propose relevant and sustainable business models to boost innovative DT uptake.
7) Establish progressive communication and dissemination of project’ outputs by different channels and ensure an efficient exploitation of results.
The project methodology relies heavily on stakeholder engagement to ensure that outcomes are relevant to the industry and the value chain. At each major steps, stakeholders have been involved in discussion to obtain their feedback. So far, across the 9 countries, 260 stakeholders participated in a first series of engagements and 150 in a second series of events.
An inventory of the welfare issues relevant to the sheep and goat systems studied in the project was developed, resulting in a list of 80 potential welfare issues per species. Stakeholders, during a first series of national workshops, considered the welfare issues relevant to their own country and situations, and prioritised them. 14 welfare issues for meat and dairy sheep, 9 for lambs and 7 for dairy goats were collated and ranked. 35 potential welfare assessment methods for assessing the priority welfare issues were identified and protocols were developed for meat sheep, dairy sheep, dairy goats and lambs covering the animal-based measures (ABMs) required to assess the prioritised welfare issues previously identified. At least one ABM was identified for each of the top 13 meat and dairy sheep issues, 8 lamb welfare issues and 9 goat welfare issues.
In parallel, an exhaustive review of existing PLF tools and DT was conducted. Although the exercise showed that using DT in small ruminants for welfare is still in its infancy, a shortlist of 15 promising digital tools, have been selected, using the following criteria:
• Easy to implement
• Cost effective,
• Applicable to the whole value chain
• Availability in the market
• Good potential for alert/early warning
• Deployable in different systems / countries
The 7 pilot farms in the project have been identified and a selection of the 11 innovative DT to be validated at the pilot stage has been made according to a) stakeholders’ feedback and ranking in the 2nd series of workshops and b) to a short-listing of 7 DT that could be deployed on farms for large scale. Welfare assessment methodologies, common protocols, and ethics considerations have been established. Pilot farms trials will collect data to allow the development of EWS.
Other trials are also being established under more controlled conditions, to develop prototyping and/or adaptation of some promising PLF tools and approaches but not ready yet to be used for welfare management.
Data exchange and analysis work has also started to enable building of algorithms for EWS. Mapping of the type of data to be produced in the project, and data exchange procedure, have been put in place. A tailored App has been created to collect the welfare assessment data from the comprehensive welfare protocols developed, on each of the trials. Data flows have been defined and discussions around API (Application Programming Interface) have started.
An exhaustive definition of the SR market status in the consortium countries was done. Business models for assimilation of these systems have been defined and eight business models have been preliminary retained and scored.
For a productive dissemination, communication and exploitation of results, a TechCare platform has been created (www.techcare-project.eu) as well as social media accounts. Four newsletters have been prepared and distributed. Despite the pandemic restrictions, participation to conferences, workshops and webinars occurred, including a session specifically dedicated to the project at a European conference in August 2021. Popular articles, podcasts and 1 scientific publication have also been completed. Onboarding on the API-Agro platform for data sharing and exploitation of results has also started.
An inventory of the welfare issues relevant to the sheep and goat systems studied in the project was developed, resulting in a list of 80 potential welfare issues per species. Stakeholders, during a first series of national workshops, considered the welfare issues relevant to their own country and situations, and prioritised them. 14 welfare issues for meat and dairy sheep, 9 for lambs and 7 for dairy goats were collated and ranked. 35 potential welfare assessment methods for assessing the priority welfare issues were identified and protocols were developed for meat sheep, dairy sheep, dairy goats and lambs covering the animal-based measures (ABMs) required to assess the prioritised welfare issues previously identified. At least one ABM was identified for each of the top 13 meat and dairy sheep issues, 8 lamb welfare issues and 9 goat welfare issues.
In parallel, an exhaustive review of existing PLF tools and DT was conducted. Although the exercise showed that using DT in small ruminants for welfare is still in its infancy, a shortlist of 15 promising digital tools, have been selected, using the following criteria:
• Easy to implement
• Cost effective,
• Applicable to the whole value chain
• Availability in the market
• Good potential for alert/early warning
• Deployable in different systems / countries
The 7 pilot farms in the project have been identified and a selection of the 11 innovative DT to be validated at the pilot stage has been made according to a) stakeholders’ feedback and ranking in the 2nd series of workshops and b) to a short-listing of 7 DT that could be deployed on farms for large scale. Welfare assessment methodologies, common protocols, and ethics considerations have been established. Pilot farms trials will collect data to allow the development of EWS.
Other trials are also being established under more controlled conditions, to develop prototyping and/or adaptation of some promising PLF tools and approaches but not ready yet to be used for welfare management.
Data exchange and analysis work has also started to enable building of algorithms for EWS. Mapping of the type of data to be produced in the project, and data exchange procedure, have been put in place. A tailored App has been created to collect the welfare assessment data from the comprehensive welfare protocols developed, on each of the trials. Data flows have been defined and discussions around API (Application Programming Interface) have started.
An exhaustive definition of the SR market status in the consortium countries was done. Business models for assimilation of these systems have been defined and eight business models have been preliminary retained and scored.
For a productive dissemination, communication and exploitation of results, a TechCare platform has been created (www.techcare-project.eu) as well as social media accounts. Four newsletters have been prepared and distributed. Despite the pandemic restrictions, participation to conferences, workshops and webinars occurred, including a session specifically dedicated to the project at a European conference in August 2021. Popular articles, podcasts and 1 scientific publication have also been completed. Onboarding on the API-Agro platform for data sharing and exploitation of results has also started.
TechCare ambition is to propose innovative and cost-effective DT to improve welfare management in SR,
• With technologies adapted to SR production
• By considering the whole production chain
• With adapted EWS
• Using appropriate business models
The 2 main outputs of the project are expected to be 1) ready to use PLF, EWS and innovative digital solutions for small ruminant welfare management across Europe and 2) guidelines for adapted solutions that are not ready yet to be widely adopted or deployed at larger scale.
The project expects to:
• Provide a better understanding of animal welfare and associated animal behaviour
• Offer a broader range of animal welfare management strategies and tools
• Assist in developing innovative approaches to measuring animal welfare at various stages of the production system
• And increase the sustainability of the SR sector
• With technologies adapted to SR production
• By considering the whole production chain
• With adapted EWS
• Using appropriate business models
The 2 main outputs of the project are expected to be 1) ready to use PLF, EWS and innovative digital solutions for small ruminant welfare management across Europe and 2) guidelines for adapted solutions that are not ready yet to be widely adopted or deployed at larger scale.
The project expects to:
• Provide a better understanding of animal welfare and associated animal behaviour
• Offer a broader range of animal welfare management strategies and tools
• Assist in developing innovative approaches to measuring animal welfare at various stages of the production system
• And increase the sustainability of the SR sector