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Using artificial intelligence to track animal welfare

Researchers are looking to artificial intelligence to track and improve animal welfare.

The Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Computer Engineering are developing new tools to document and analyze animal-based indicators of on farm welfare, such as skin or tail lesions detected on swine carcasses at slaughter.

There are also 14 industry partners involved with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Dr. Martyna Lagoda, post-doctoral fellow on Swine Behavior and Welfare, said this work is being done because consumers want to know that the animals raised for meat have had a good quality of life.

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Season 6, Episode 7: Takeaways from the Second International Conference on Pig Livability

Video: Season 6, Episode 7: Takeaways from the Second International Conference on Pig Livability

This year’s conference fostered open, engaging conversations around current research in the swine industry, bringing together hundreds of attendees from 31 states and six countries. Two leaders who helped organize the event joined today’s episode: Dr. Joel DeRouchey, professor and swine extension specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, and Dr. Edison Magalhaes, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Iowa State University. They share key takeaways from the conference, including the importance of integrating data when evaluating whole-herd livability, building a culture of care among employees and adopting new technologies. Above all, the discussion reinforces that this industry remains, at its core, a people business.