AI welfare cameras rolled out across 46 M&S dairy farms

AI-powered cattle monitoring is being rolled out across all 46 farms supplying M&S milk, with farmers using the technology to track changes in cow mobility, body condition and behaviour.

Marks and Spencer says it is the first retailer to introduce AI welfare monitoring across its entire milk pool.

The system uses cameras already installed in dairy parlours to capture footage of cows while they are indoors.

Algorithms developed alongside vets then analyse the footage and build individual health profiles for each animal.

The technology tracks mobility, lying time, feeding time, social interactions and body condition, producing what is described as a cow comfort score.

M&S said the system is designed to supplement, rather than replace, regular in-person welfare checks by independent vets.

Trials on a number of supplying farms have already led to practical management changes.

Farmers have used lying-time data to alter bedding for individual cows, while feeding schedules have been adjusted in some cases to reduce the amount of time animals spend standing.

Some stall designs have also been changed in response to the information collected.

M&S said more frequent body condition monitoring should help farmers identify changes in nutritional status over time.

Terry Canning, chief executive of CattleEye, said: “Changes in body condition are early indicators of metabolic health, fertility, and overall wellbeing.”

He added: “Tracking those changes more regularly, across every cow, gives farmers a level of insight that was previously unavailable outside research environments.”

According to M&S, the algorithm underpinning the system has been tested and found to perform to the same standard as a trained welfare assessor.

The retailer has not said how many cows will ultimately be covered across the 46 farms.

It has also not detailed whether supplying farmers will face installation or ongoing subscription costs as part of the rollout.

Peter Kennedy, head of agriculture at M&S Food, said: “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.”

The rollout forms part of the retailer’s Plan A for Farming programme.

M&S says it has invested more than £7 million in agricultural innovation over the past decade, with a further £7m available over the next five years.

Previous projects have included dairy flooring trials, methane measurement in Aberdeen Angus cattle and precision technology in parsnip production.

M&S sources its own-brand milk from 46 British dairy farms within its Select Farm milk pool.

The new monitoring system will now be used across that network to provide more frequent welfare data alongside existing veterinary assessments.