| 2nd series of TechCare National Workshops (NWs) | |
| Topic: | Assessment of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) tools for small ruminants |
| When: | 07/2021 till 10/2021 |
| Where: | 9 countries (France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain, UK) |
| No. Participants: | 157 |
| NWs Summary: | The agenda of the 2nd NWs included an introduction talk on the aims of the event and the role of stakeholders within the TechCare project, followed by a short presentation of the outcomes of the 1st series of NWs concerning the prioritisation of the welfare issues of small ruminant farming systems. Based on this list, appropriate PLF tools that can be used as early-warning systems to address these issues were identified by TechCare scientists and were put forth to the relevant stakeholders. Basic information concerning the functionality of the PLF tools and technical and economic data were shared among the stakeholders who were invited to ask questions or comment on the presented technologies. Finally, the stakeholders were asked to evaluate the PLF tools based on the following criteria: effectiveness, cost, ease-of-use, applicability, early-warning capability and adaptability. |
| Main Outcomes: | The results were collected based on the three main production systems (e.g. meat sheep, dairy sheep, and dairy goat) considered in the context of the project. Upon a first look, it seems that the stakeholders’ opinion is rather uniform in most countries, since the top-3 (favorable) PLF tools are more or less the same, although, the top-3 ranking may change. For meat sheep, commonly used tools include EID readers (UHF or LF RFID) for tracking, automatic weight platforms, and accelerometers with GPS to monitor behavior and movement (e.g., in France, Israel, and Ireland). Weather and air quality sensors are also widely valued in countries like Spain, Ireland, and the UK, emphasizing environmental monitoring’s role in animal welfare. In dairy sheep systems, there is significant interest in electronic milk meters, particularly in Greece, Italy, and Spain, to enhance milk production tracking. Weather and air quality sensors are frequently prioritized across countries like Spain, France, and Norway, reflecting their critical role in environmental management. EID readers (UHF or LF RFID) and automatic weight platforms are also considered essential tools for tracking weight changes. For dairy goats, weather and air quality sensors, electronic milk meters, and EID readers emerged as the most valued tools in Greece, Spain, and Norway. These tools facilitate environmental management, milk production monitoring, and animal tracking and management. The overview of the main outcomes is presented in the following Table 2. |
Copyright pictures ELGO-DIMITRA, BUAS, UAB, IDELE, NIBIO, SRUC
