Document type: Article published in Ouest France
Author: Ouest France on behalf of Space
Preview: As the bar of society's expectations concerning healthier food and more sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture continues to rise, agricultural models are going through a transformation that includes digital transition. This is what is happening:
What are. the latest innovations to hit the livestock sector? And how do they make farmers' working lives easier? From precision monitoring of animal health and improved understanding of reproductive cycles, to automated harvesting, over 4,000 agritech applications have flooded the market in recent years. Farms have now become cutting-edge, highly-connected businesses. Indeed, 79% of farmers use the internet for their work and 46% of them use a GPS navigator on their tractors to improve its precision. Last, 50% of dairy farmers have now installed a milking robot on their premises. Nearly 8,000 milking robots are now in operation on farms.
Innov'Space: 25 years of innovation
Each year, Space, the international livestock show in Rennes, shines a spotlight on the latest innovations in the sector as part of the Innov'Space programme. Obtaining this label provides a unique opportunity for those involved in livestock farming to publicise and promote their agricultural innovations. In 2020, the Innov'Space event celebrated its 25th anniversary. To celebrate this, the members of the Innov'Space judging panel, who are all independent experts not involved in the organisation of the salon, have selected around one hundred of the most outstanding innovations in the agricultural sector. Digital technology features extensively in this selection, which includes innovations in monitoring or surveillance using image capture.
Innovations that take the welfare of both animals and farmers into account
"We are currently working with a Brittany-based startup, Copeeks, to develop a new technology, which makes use of image analysis on pig farms. With the help of artificial intelligence, we will be able to detect levels of thermal comfort and interpret the positions assumed by piglets during the night", explains Pascal Fourchon, innovation consultant at Eureden. A former veterinarian, he is now employed by the "Élever avec passion" programme, which aims to bring about higher levels of welfare for both animals and farmers. "This will be one of the challenges for the agriculture of tomorrow," he tells us.
Artificial intelligence to monitor piglet comfort
With this new device, the intention is to photograph the piglets at night in order to check whether or not they are struggling with the cold. "By analysing the postures assumed by piglets as they rest, we can differentiate between a state of thermal well-being and a situation where they are suffering from the cold. We taught a computer to imitate the diagnostic routine of an expert. Ultimately, we want to be able to alert the farmer and his/her technician if the piglets are struggling with the cold.» The work between Eureden and the startup Copeeks began in November 2020. The device is expected to be launched in 2022.
