UK supermarket Marks & Spencer (M&S) is the first retailer to use AI-powered technology to monitor the welfare of the dairy cows that supply it. There are a total of 46 dairy farms supplying M&S in Great Britain, each of which have now installed the innovative technology to keep an eye on the cows. The system uses cameras to capture footage of dairy cows when they are indoors, which is then analyzed using an algorithm trained alongside vets to monitor welfare of dairy cows in real time, providing objective and consistent data.
MONITORING BEHAVIOR
The AI-powered video analytics technology constructs an individual health profile for each dairy cow by tracking various behavioral aspects, including lying time, feeding time, social interactions, and overall mobility. This data is utilized to generate a 'cow comfort score,' providing objective and consistent information that aids veterinarians in their assessment of individual animal health. This daily digital oversight enhances the regular, in-person welfare checks conducted by independent vets. Additionally, the cameras are capable of continuously assessing body condition scoring over time, which is critical for monitoring the cows' nutritional status. Terry Canning, CEO of Cattle Eye, a key technology partner in this initiative, highlighted that observing changes in body condition offers early indicators of metabolic health, fertility, and general well-being. He emphasized that this level of precise, regular monitoring across every cow provides insights previously unavailable outside of specialized research environments. Canning further stated that M&S has established a new benchmark for the industry by deploying AI welfare monitoring throughout its entire supply chain, ensuring both farmers and consumers of healthy and productive herds. The algorithm underpinning this tool has undergone rigorous testing and has demonstrated performance standards equivalent to those of a trained human welfare assessor, confirming its accuracy and reliability.
COW COMFORT
During the initial trials and ongoing measurement of parameters such as lying times, farmers within the M&S supplier network have implemented various changes aimed at enhancing cow comfort. These adjustments include modifying the bedding for individual cows to better suit their specific size and shape, thereby improving their resting conditions. Feeding schedules have also been adapted strategically to reduce the amount of time cows spend standing, optimizing their daily routines. Furthermore, the design of some stalls has been refined to provide improved comfort for the animals. Peter Kennedy, the Head of Agriculture at M&S Food, reiterated the supermarket's long-standing commitment to maintaining market-leading welfare standards. He stated that this latest evolution in welfare monitoring, powered by AI, provides essential support to British farmers, enabling them to deliver the highest possible standard of care for their dairy cows. Kennedy underscored that this innovative approach is an integral component of M&S’s 'Plan A for Farming' initiative, which is dedicated to building resilience within British agriculture and continually elevating animal welfare benchmarks. To support such advancements, M&S has invested over £7 million in agricultural innovation over the past decade, with an additional £7 million allocated for similar initiatives over the next five years, demonstrating a sustained commitment to modern farming practices and animal well-being.
