Milk moves: Sainsbury’s taps AI to boost dairy production, animal health and welfare

11 Jul 2024 --- Sainsbury’s plans to improve animal welfare and dairy farm efficiency with the roll out of new AI veterinary technology for dairy cows. The supermarket is joining forces with UK-based Vet Vision AI, whose new “vet tech” is touted to “revolutionize the approach to cattle care.” 

This includes animal behavior monitoring, increased cattle comfort level and 24-hour insights through cameras to help dairy farmers manage farms better.

Vet Vision AI is a new spinout company from the University of Nottingham, UK and Sainsbury’s is trialing its new technology which has been designed to spot when cows are happy and healthy, and why. The animals are monitored through low cost and portable cameras which can be used by vets on multiple farms.

The UK retail giant sees the move as “a step forward in farming efficiency” as a healthy cow means a more productive cow, and claims to be the first retailer in the world to invest in this technique.

Food Ingredients First speaks with the supermarket’s vet and agriculture manager Dr. Matt Turner, for more insights on the technology and its implications for dairy farm advancement.

“The AI works by recognizing patterns in behavior, analyzing and turning video footage into real-time, accurate data. As well as monitoring behavior, the AI will offer farmers suggestions on ways to further improve the animals’ lifestyles,” he explains.

24-hour insights through cameras help dairy farmers manage farms better.“Examples of this include housing improvements for better comfort and animal engagement and providing enrichment such as cow brushes, similar to a back scratcher, to reduce stress.”

Actionable insights
Investing in animal welfare is a key priority for Sainsbury’s, Dr. Turner notes.

“Not only is it the right thing to do but it also results in more efficient farming. In this case, a healthy cow means a more productive cow and more milk produced for the same amount of feed.”

He views AI technology as a “highly innovative and fast-moving area” with huge potential for the future because it allows farmers and vets to monitor animals 24/7 to gather information. 

Additionally, the data can be turned into actionable insights, which farmers and vets can use to make changes on farms.

Round the clock monitoring of dairy cattle enables more informed decision making, as farmers will have unique insights into cow welfare that they may not be able to identify with standard vet visits. The continuous analysis of behavior also allows for a “test and learn” approach to the suggested welfare tactics.

The use of AI on farms is an expanding area, with the US tapping into the technology to detect diseases in cows. However, what sets Vet Vision AI’s technology apart is the ability to show when a cow is “thriving,” as opposed to only spotting illnesses and ailments, explains Sainsbury’s. The constant monitoring can also identify diseases early, preventing delays in treatment. 

Bolstering farm efficiency
Computer vision technology installs cameras on farms for 24-hour monitoring and analysis, allowing for more informed decisions about animal management.

“The big challenge is farmers and vets can only be in one place at a time, so only get “snapshots of insights” when they are physically with the cows to understand cow behavior, how they use their environment and interact with each other,” observes Dr. Turner.

The AI tech helps optimize milk yields by advising farmers on “improving cow comfort” through increased lying time.“This is an exciting new “tool for the toolbox,” which will be the eyes and ears on the farm when farmers and vets are not able to be physically there.”

The AI also helps optimize milk yields by advising farmers on “improving cow comfort” through increased lying time, which in turn may lead to better leg health and more milk produced for the same amount of feed, as the cow is stronger on its hooves.

Sustainable dairy goals
The AI technology is currently being used on 30 of Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group (SDDG) farms, with the aim to roll out the technology further next year, Dr. Turner tells us.

The SDDG was founded in 2007 to provide more support to farmers. It includes around 170 farms that supply Sainsbury’s with its own brand milk.

The retailer has invested “tens of millions of pounds” into its dairy farmers over the last few years, including committing to an ongoing annual £6 million (US$7.7 million) investment in pay and sustainability bonuses.

Last year, it invested £1.7 million (US$2.18 million) in these bonuses that reward farmers for efforts on carbon reduction, such as using sustainably sourced feed and the correct amount of fertilizer, in the right way.

Farmer feedback
Sainsbury’s AI-based farm monitoring efforts have received positive feedback from farmers, shares Dr. Turner.

“Our dairy farmers that are using the technology are already seeing real benefits and we look forward to expanding it to our wider network of Dairy Development Group farms soon.”

By Insha Naureen