Optimizing performance and welfare of fattening pigs using High Frequent Radio Frequency Identification (HF RFID) and synergistic control on individual level

Project information

Optimizing performance and welfare of fattening pigs using High Frequent Radio Frequency Identification (HF RFID) and synergistic control on individual level

Call: Integrated ICT and automation for sustainable agricultural production

Id: 34767

Acronym: PIGWISE

Duration: 
1 October, 2011 to 30 September, 2013

Consortium:
No Partner Contact Country Total
1000€
Funded
1000€
Funder
1 Coord.Division: Process Engineering
Department of Animal Sciences
Faculty of Agriculture Sciences
University of Göttingen
Engel HesselGermany93.093.0Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
2Aarhus School of Engineering
Aarhus University
Torben GregersenDenmark92.692.6Danish AgriFish Agency
Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
3Istituto Superiore Mario Boella
Paolo BrizziItaly126.6126.6Ministry of Agriculture Food, Forestry & Tourism Policies
4Porphyrio NVKristof MertensBelgium104.546.0Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO)
5Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO)Annelies Van NuffelBelgium41.041.0Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO)

Summary: 

The aim of the project is to develop an ICT based tool for performance and welfare monitoring of pigs at the individual level. Warning signs, such as alterations in animal behaviour and some other parameters, enable an early detection of diseases or environmental related problems. Since the routinely gathering behavioural information from animals to evaluate their performance and welfare is very time-consuming for farmers, the new technologies demonstrably aid this task (Wathes et al., 2008), especially with large herds. In PIGWISE, we combine automation techniques applying them to monitor the animal’s behaviour. Therefore, the above automated monitoring and decision support will detect problems at early stage preventing bigger economic losses. PIGWISE brings a broad approach combining an innovative individual online-monitoring system, based on RFID with passive HF transponders, camera vision technology and software.

Impact: 

This project has developed a tool to monitor the performance, growth and welfare of pigs at the individual level. The tool allows detection of problems at an early stage, providing monitoring and decision support, thereby preventing financial loss. This innovative approach combines an individual online monitoring system with camera vision technology and software. Accurate, advanced computer-aided analysis of individual animal data enables treatment of each animal as a production unit (instead of the pen or the herd), definition of animal-based threshold values, and hence development of early warning systems for potential drops in performance or potential health (and consequently performance and welfare) problems. For example, a pig displaying a reduced number and duration of feed visits, or excessively long gaps between visits, will be signalled and the pig farmer can intervene quickly. Also, sudden changes in activity rates caused by lameness or agonistic behaviours like tail biting can alert the farmer to separate animals that need special attention. In this way, negative influences on animal health and economic damage can be prevented. The technology developed in the PIGWISE project is currently being used in IOF2020, which is an EU project on the use of internet of things (IoT) technology in agriculture.

Outputs: 
  • PIGWISE brings a broad approach combining an innovative individual online-monitoring system, based on RFID with passive HF transponders, camera vision technology and software.
Topics: 
  • RFID

Share your opinion: Add new comment