Conferences

TechCare representatives will attend conferences, industry days, national and international SR shows; during these events, the latest project developments, progresses and results will be presented to the audience.

2025

1. DEFRA Scientific Research Seminar (Online, March 6, 2025). SRUC Presentation: “Development and validation of animal-based welfare indicators for a PLF approach to small ruminant welfare management” by Michelle Reeves.
2. NSA Scotland ARMM ( Online, February 19, 2025)- Presentation: “Technology & Sheep Farming” by Claire. Morgan-Davies (SRUC).
3. European College of Small Ruminant Health and Welfare (Online, January 23, 2025). Presentation by F. Kenyon and A. Greer (MRI): “Tech for worms in Small Ruminants“.

2024

1. Agriforsk meeting: small ruminant research (Stjørdal, Norway, November 21, 2024). NIBIO: “TechCare: diskussion on Meråker data mangement”.
2. Use of EID tags in livestock (Online, November 12, 2024). MRI attended the event.
3. Landwards conference 2024 ( November 6, 2024, Harpenden, England, UK)organised by the Institute of Agricultural Engineers. Keynote speech by Claire Morgan-Davies (SRUC).
4. Fjellandbrukskonferansen 2024 (Oppdal, Norway, November 5, 2024). Presentation by NIBIO: “TechCare presentations for sheep farmers”.
5. Pathways 2024, Cordoba, Spain, October 15, 2024. Presentation by NIBIO: “Insight from new technology in rangeland grazing systems”.
6. XLVII Congreso Nacional y XXIII Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Ovinotecnia y Caprinotecnia (SEOC Conference), (Valencia, Spain, September 18, 2024).
   • G. Caja et al. : “Implementación de un dispositivo automático de pesado y selección para el manejo de granjas de ovino y caprino lechero“.
   • G. Caja et al. : “Resultados actuales del uso de sensores para la valoración de las condiciones de bienestar ambiental en ovino y caprino lechero“.
7. 24th National congress of Italian Society of Sheep and Goat Pathology and Breeding (Sassari, Italy, 17-20 September, 2024). AGRIS poster presentations:
   • M. Decandia: “Herbage intake estimation in dairy sheep using walk-over weighing” (IT)
   • M. Acciaro: “Role of THI in milk production of Sarda ewes” (IT)
   • V. Giovanetti: “Technologies applied to small ruminant feeding management” (IT)
8. 75th EAAP Conference (Florence, Italy, September 1 – 5, 2024)
   • C. Morgan-Davis (SRUC): “Technologies to manage the welfare of sheep and goats – from pilots to large-scale studies”.
   • E. Gonzalez Garcia (INRAE): “Full-flock pregnancy monitoring of live weight progression in Romane meat ewes, using a walk over weighing system in rangelands”.
   • E. Gonzalez Garcia (INRAE): “Individual variability in trajectories of key plasma biomarkers involved in body reserves dynamics in meat ewes”.
   • E. Gonzalez Garcia (INRAE): “Genetic variability for key biomarkers involved in body reserves dynamics in meat ewes”.
   • Germain Tesnière (IDELE): “Tracking sheep indoors or on pasture using bluetooth and UHF RFID for welfare management: feedback from trials conducted in Scotland and France”.
   • G. Caja (UAB):
     • “Milking order of healthy and sub clinically mammary infected dairy ewes in mid lactation”;
     • “Implementing an autodrafter-weighing scale for assessing the body weight changes and grouping dairy sheep and goats during lactation”;
     • “Effect of suckling method on the response of lambs to social isolation and weaning”.
9. Participation at the UFAW International Conference on July 10-11, 2024, in Porto, Portugal. Presentation titled: “Using bluetooth beacons to examine ewe-lamb distance as an indicator of welfare in sheep” by Michelle Reeves (SRUC).
10. Participation in the EAAP Mountain Livestock Farming meeting on June 5-7, 2024, in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
    • C. Morgan-Davis (SRUC): “Cost-benefit analysis of digital and precision livestock farming technologies for sheep and goat farms”.
    • L.Grøva (NIBIO): “How can sustainability of Norwegian sheep farming be improved?“.
    • L.Grøva (NIBIO): “GPS collar data from free ranging sheep in Norway: New knowledge for farmers, authorities and researchers“.
11. 26th National Sheep Forum (Valladolid, Spain, June 3, 2024). Presentation by G. Caja (UAB): “¿Como afecta la temperatura exterior e interior en una explotación de ovino de leche? – Proyecto TechCare”  (video presentation).
12. Scottish Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence for Livestock (Edinburgh, UK, May 9, 2024). Presentation by F. Kenyon (MRI): “Precision livestock tools to improve sheep welfare and health“.
13. Teagasc Hill Sheep National Conference (Glendalough, Ireland, February 15, 2024). Teagasc presented a flyer for the TechCare project.
14. Participation in the ClearFarm final event on February 14, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. Presentation titled: “What is TechCare about?” by C. Morgan-Davis (SRUC)
15. Teagasc Sheep National Conference (Athlone, Ireland, January 23, 2024 & Letterkenny, Ireland, January 25, 2024). Teagasc presented a flyer for the TechCare project.

2023

1. Arktisk landburksseminar (Tromsø, Norway, 29th November 2023). Presentation by NIBIO: “Sau, geit, dyrevelferd og teknologi”.
2. SPIIRIT (Dundee, Scotland, October 13, 2023). Poster by Cassandra McGragor (MRI) et al.
3. Tech-Ovin 2023 – Bellac, France, September 7, 2023 – G. Tesnière et al. (IDELE): “Les nouvelles technologies pour les systèmes extensifs : en quoi le numérique peut-il m’être utile en système extensif ?“
4. 74th EAAP Conference (Lyon, France, August 31 – September 1, 2023)
   • G. Caja (UAB) et al.: Update on sensor technologies for performance recording, management and welfare of small ruminants
   • T. Kriszt (INRAE), et al.: Deploying a LoRa network in mountainous areas to connect animals and shepherds
   • N. Debus (INRAE) et al.: The male effect as an alternative to eCG in oestrus induction and synchronization treatment in ewes
   • E.N. Sossidou (ELGO) et al.: Warning Systems to promote animal welfare in small ruminants’ production: what are the attitudes of TechCare stakeholders?
5. Journées annuelles UMR SELMET (Lauret, France, July 10, 2023). Presentation by Kriszt T., Menassol J-B., INRAE: “Connecting animals and shepherds: Bringing LoRa connectivity to challenging terrains”.
6. 76th Meeting SISVET (Scientific Society for Veterinary Science) (Bari, Italy, June 21-23, 2023). Presentations by AGRIS, Abinsula, SRUC: “TECHCARE project: an Italian pilot study on dairy sheep to test innovative technologies for welfare monitoring” and “The use of DCC to identify intra mammary infections in Sarda dairy sheep”(AGRIS).
7. The 20th Conference on Animal Production (AIDA) (Zaragoza, Spain, June 13-14, 2023). UAB contribution to the TechCare project (ES):
   • Mereia Sort: “Short distance transport stress in suckling kids”. (ES)
   • Abdelaali El Hadi: “Short distance transport stress in suckling lambs” and “Prioritization of problems and precision devices for welfare management in dairy sheep”. (ES)
   • Lachemot, L. “Efectos del sistema de cría (natural vs. artificial) en el crecimiento de corderos y su respuesta metabólica al destete“. (ES)
8. French-Japanese exchanges on precision agriculture (Montpellier, France, June 12, 2023). Presentation by Kriszt T., Menassol J-B. titled: “Precision farming with small ruminants Works & Challenges in Integrating Animals and Sensors”.
9. US Precision Livestock Farming 2023 (Knoxville, USA – May 21-24, 2023). SRUC: “Resource use and proximity technology in extensive systems – getting useful information on livestock at lower costs?”.
10. SRUC attended the EuroSheep final seminar in France on May 3, 2023.
11. British Society for Parasitology (Edinburgh, Scotland on April 13, 2023). Presentation: “Making roundworm data ewe-niversal for all” by Fiona Kanyon (MRI) et al.
12. 10^th International Sheep Veterinary Congress (Seville, Spain, March 6-10, 2023). Presentation by G. Caja (UAB): “New opportunities of using sensors in small ruminants”.
13. British Society for Animal Science Conference (Birmingham, UK, March 27, 2023). Presentation: “Sustainable control of roundworms in livestock” by Fiona Kanyon (MRI).
14. Beitekonferanse Folldal (Folldal, Norway, March 25, 2023). Presentation by NIBIO: “Småfe, teknologi og dyrevelferd. Meråkerdata”.
15. Paris International Agricultural Show (March 3, 2023). Presentation by Jean-Louis Uranie (IDELE) and Thomas GOMEZ (Agdatahub) et al.: “Collecting farm data to improve the welfare of small ruminants: focus on TECHCARE”.
16. Sm@rt workshop (Ruakura, New Zealand, February 10, 2023). Presentation by C. Morgan-Davies (SRUC): “TechCare project introduction”.
17. The Fuping International Dairy Goat Forum (Fuping, China, January 6, 2023). Presentation by G. Caja (UAB): “Available sensor technologies for precision farming and welfare assessment in dairy goats”.

2022

1. Rencontres autour des Recherches sur les Ruminants conference (Paris, France, December 7, 2022). Abstract titled: “Use of the male effect as a replacement for eCG in the induction and synchronization of estrus and ovulation in the Merino d’Arles ewe” by Besche G., Tesniere A., Guyonneau J-D., Kriszt T., Menassol J-B., Debus N.
2. Agriverso conference (Cagliari, Italy, December 1, 2022). General presentation by Francesco Martini (Abinsula).
3. Idele attended the 10èmes Journées Techniques Ovines, held on October 12, 2022 in Gramat, France.
4. SRUC – Elanco/RAMA visit to MRI, on October 5, 2022 at MRI, Penicuik, Scotland, UK.
5. SRUC attended the Animal Welfare Conference in Edinburgh (Scotland) on October 4, 2022.
6. 13^th International conference on goats (ICG2022), virtual conference (September 19-22, 2022). Presentation by G. Caja (UAB): “Available sensor technologies for precision farming and welfare assessment in dairy goas”.
7. Comité Technique du programme Sm@rt Elevage (France, September 9, 2022). Idele presented the TechCare project.
8. 73^rd EAAP Annual Meeting, Porto, Portugal (September 5, 2022). Presentation by Evangelia Sossidou (ELGO-DIMITRA): “Stakeholders’ perceptions of precision livestock farming to improve small ruminant welfare”.
9. 10^th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming ECPLF 2022, SRUC presented “Calibration of a novel Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) monitoring device in a sheep grazing environment” on August 29– September 2, 2022 in Vienna, Austria.
10. 75^th Annual Society of Range Management Meeting, hybrid conference (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA,  February 8, 2022) Presentation (SRUC and MRI): “Development of LoRaWAN communication sensors for extensive livestock grazing in the Scottish mountains – opportunities for the science and practice of managing livestock and pastures in harsh environments”.
11. VI International Workshop of Precision Environments, hybrid conference (Campinas, Brazil, February 1, 2022). Presentation by T. Waterhouse (SRUC): “Precision livestock data directly from the animal, and its environment, should be able to improve performance, welfare and economics of extensive livestock systems, but there a range of practical, affordability and ethical challenges to overcome”.

2021

1. International Sheep Veterinary Association 2021 (ISVA), virtual conference (November 25, 2021). Invited talk, presentation by G. Caja (UAB): “Sensors for Sentient Small Ruminants” (English version– Spanish version).
2. 44^th Congress of the Argentine Animal Production Association (AAPA), virtual conference (November 19, 2021). Presentation by C. Dwyer (SRUC) : “Future developments in animal welfare research”.
3. 72^nd EAAP Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland (August 30, 2021). Presentation by Evangelia Sossidou (ELGO-DIMITRA): “A stakeholder co-design approach for integrating innovative technologies along the value chain to improve small ruminant welfare: The TechCare project”.
4. 8^th Congress of Welfare of Animals at Farm and Group Level, virtual conference (August 18, 2021). Presentation by C. Dwyer (SRUC): “Behavioural freedoms vs painful procedures: Essential trade-offs in the welfare of extensively managed animals?”.
5. The annual seminar of the sheep sector (Volcani Institute, July 15, 2021). ARO attended the seminar. Pictures available here.
6. Online meeting (May 4, 2021). Presentation by C. Dwyer (SRUC): “Update on welfare activities since AWIN”.
7. The challenge of change the new normal? BSAS 2021, virtual conference (April 12-15, 2021). Presentation by C. Morgan-Davies (SRUC): “Precision sheep management in the uplands”.