Together with Danish Pig Genetics and Aarhus University, the Danish Technological Institute will develop a new technology that, with the help of advanced camera technology and artificial intelligence, will pave the way for a more sustainable pig production.

The project will ensure better animal welfare for sows in Danish pig production by using monitoring and artificial intelligence. The monitoring is expected to make it easier to identify the sows with the best breeding potential and thereby increase the possibilities of breeding more robust sows.

This will be done through new digitalization of the breeding assessment. Breeding assessment is the process in which breeding animals are assessed and selected based on their hereditary traits, which in this project deals with the assessment of the breeding animals' robustness and leg strength.

'- Traditional, manual assessments are replaced with objective measurements obtained through camera surveillance in the barn and the development of models, where artificial intelligence is used to measure the pigs', says Claus Hansen, senior consultant from the Danish Technological Institute.

The project's main focus is to increase the durability of the sows. Traditional methods for assessing the strength and robustness of sows are subjective and are only performed once in a sow's lifetime.

An extensive digital platform

With the project's goal of developing a comprehensive, digital platform that is fully functional in the barn, with e.g. continuous camera surveillance and assessment of the genetic values, the sows will be objectively monitored over a longer period. Ultimately, it will improve the animal welfare, robustness and longevity of the sows.

'- The project aims to improve the robustness of sows by automating the measurement of important traits. With the help of continuous camera surveillance and advanced AI algorithms, the project can help revolutionize the way in which strength and durability are assessed in breeding sows', adds Grum Gebreyesus, tenure track assistant professor in livestock phenomics at Aarhus University.

Systematic measurement and analysis

Phenomics is the systematic measurement and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative traits, and it has now become an important tool in AI and the study of animal behavior. Using advanced clinical and biochemical methods as well as visualization technologies, researchers can improve and accurately describe the observable traits of animals. This approach enables AI systems to identify and analyze complex behavioral patterns in animals, opening new ways for understanding and protecting animal life.

'- With increased focus on sow survival and reduction of early weaning, this project is critical for future agriculture and our goal of creating the world's most sustainable pig', says Søren Balder Bendtsen, genetic manager at Danish Pig Genetics.

'- By prioritizing breeding that improves robustness and leg strength in the sows, the project will ensure a more sustainable pig production. This is in line with both national and EU standards for animal welfare and sustainable agriculture', he adds.

It is expected that the breeding progress can save respectively 20,000 sows and 312,000 piglets per year, six years after the end of the project. The project is expected to bring in around DKK 200 million per year to the producers.

The DiGiSOW project runs over 4 years and has been granted support from GUDP, a programme under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, which supports the development and demonstration of green solutions in the agricultural industry.

Read the news at GUDP (in Danish) here.

Read the full press release (in Danish) here.

Contact: Tenure Track assistant professor Grum Gebreyesus, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University.