- M&S is the first retailer to use AI-powered welfare monitoring across its entire Milk Pool, made up of 46 British dairy farms
- The innovative technology uses cameras already in dairy parlours using algorithms trained by vets to monitor cows more frequently, enhancing regular in person welfare checks
- This is the latest innovation is part of the M&S Plan A for Farming which aims to uphold industry-leading animal welfare and support British farmers to build long-term resilience
M&S is the first retailer to use AI-powered monitoring systems on its entire Milk Pool to monitor animal welfare across 46 dairy farms. The innovative tools use cameras to capture footage of dairy cows when they are indoors which is then analysed using an algorithm trained alongside vets to monitor welfare of dairy cows in real time. This latest move by M&S sets a new standard for animal welfare for dairy cows.
The technology uses AI-powered video analytics to build an individual health profile for each animal, tracking mobility and body condition scoring over time to give farmers objective, consistent data on the wellbeing of their herd. The tools monitor the cow’s behaviour including lying time, feeding time, social interactions and mobility to generate a ‘cow comfort score’ which supports vets in their assessment of individual cow’s health.
Regular, in person, welfare checks by independent vets will be enhanced by this daily monitoring of dairy cows. The cameras will assess body condition scoring to assess cows’ nutritional status over time. Terry Canning, CEO of Cattle Eye says “Changes in body condition are early indicators of metabolic health, fertility, and overall wellbeing. Tracking those changes more regularly, across every cow, gives farmers a level of insight that was previously unavailable outside research environments.” The algorithm supporting the tool has been tested and found to perform to the same standard as a trained welfare assessor.
These tools are being rolled out following trials at a selection of M&S dairy farms, where farmers have used the technology to make changes to tailor care to individual cow’s needs. By measuring lying times, farmers have made changes to the bedding of individual cows to improve their comfort based on their specific size and shape. Feeding schedules have been adapted to reduce the amount of time cows spend standing and the design of some stalls has been adapted to improve cow comfort.
Peter Kennedy, Head of Agriculture at M&S Food: “M&S has always had market-leading welfare standards, and as we continue to support British farmers in this latest evolution of welfare monitoring, powered by AI, it will support farmers to give the best care to dairy cows. This latest innovation supports our Plan A for Farming to build resilience in British farming and continue to raise the bar on animal welfare.”
Jenny Allan, Map of Ag Veterinary consultant: "M&S has had a longstanding focus on animal health and welfare, which has been in place for more than 15 years. Going forwards AI technology will enable real-time cow comfort and health parameters to be monitored, providing valuable insights across 46 farms."
Terry Canning, CEO of CattleEye continues: "M&S has set a standard that the rest of the industry will be measured against. Deploying AI welfare monitoring across an entire supply chain is a first. This means we can give farmers and consumers peace of mind that productive herds can be healthy herds."
M&S has invested more than £7m over the last decade in supporting farmers with agricultural innovation and a further £7m is available over the next five years. This is the latest innovation supported by M&S as part of its Plan A for Farming. Earlier innovations include a trial of flooring in the M&S-funded upgraded milking parlour, on one of the M&S Milk Pool farms, a trial measuring methane from Aberdeen Angus cows to support breeding a lower emission cow and last year a trial using the latest technology to farm a field of parsnips, delivering more, higher quality veg with a reduced carbon footprint.
M&S milk is 100% British and is sourced direct from 46 dairy farmers in its Select Farm milk pool. These close partnerships are the cornerstone of the most responsibly sourced milk on the market*, ensuring animals and the environment are looked after and people on farms are set up for the future.