The Role of Precision Technologies in Future Grazing Systems: Implications for Animal Welfare, Performance and Farm Sustainability

With increasing concerns regarding environmental sustainability and animal welfare research is needed to develop new farming systems and practices. One area gaining considerable attention is called Precision Livestock Farming (PLF). This is defined as "individual animal management by continuous real-time monitoring of health, welfare, production/reproduction, and environmental impact". In essence, PLF encompasses the combined application of single technologies or multiple tools in integrated systems for real-time and individual monitoring of livestock. This has the potential to revolutionise how farm animals are managed. Historically this has been at the group level, and PLF technologies offer approaches to optimise the management of individual farm animals. Many PLF technologies are already applied in intensive indoor rearing systems but could also be useful in pasture-based systems, where livestock control can be difficult due to the physical size of the animals, variability and density of the feed source and remoteness of location. Some examples of emerging PLF applications which could be used in grazing systems include virtual fencing, GPS systems, and multi-sensors technologies. Such applications could help farmers to improve animal welfare and management, and to deepen understanding of animal behaviour. Additionally they could aid in conservation grazing of hills and uplands, as well as supporting farmers in decision-making, reducing workload, and increasing economic sustainability. PLF technologies have the potential to improve farm animal welfare. However, important knowledge gaps remain regarding how technology can be adopted and optimised to achieve this goal. This project will investigate opportunities to use PLF technology to enhance farm animal welfare and performance.