Improving animal welfare and production in dairy cows through intelligent monitoring technologies.
Background
Ensuring high standards of animal welfare is essential for sustainable dairy farming. Today, farmers primarily rely on manual observations and periodic inspections to assess the health and welfare of dairy cows. These methods can be time-consuming, subjective, and may delay the detection of welfare issues or diseases.
The VelKoTek project addresses this challenge by developing objective, technology-driven welfare indicators based on data collected from modern milking and monitoring systems. By enabling continuous assessment, the project supports earlier intervention, healthier animals, and more sustainable dairy production.
Project Objectives
- Develop new objective welfare indicators for dairy cows.
- Enable continuous monitoring using existing farm technologies.
- Support farmers in preventive herd management.
- Improve animal welfare, productivity, and sustainability.
- Provide transparent welfare documentation for the dairy value chain.
Project Details
VelKoTek combines data from automatic milking systems and livestock monitoring technologies to create reliable digital indicators of animal welfare. These indicators are designed to identify early signs of health problems or poor welfare before they become visible through traditional observation.
Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark contribute expertise in robotics, intelligent sensing, data analysis, and artificial intelligence to transform large volumes of sensor data into meaningful welfare assessments. The project aims to provide farmers with practical decision-support tools that enable preventive management while reducing subjectivity in welfare evaluation.
Beyond improving herd management, the developed welfare indicators can also provide objective documentation for consumers, food producers, and regulatory authorities, supporting greater transparency throughout the dairy supply chain.
Future Perspectives
The technologies and welfare indicators developed in VelKoTek have the potential to become an integral part of future precision livestock farming. Continuous digital welfare assessment can improve the quality of animal care, increase production efficiency, and reduce environmental impact by enabling healthier cows to live longer and remain productive.
In the longer term, objective welfare measurements may complement or partially replace traditional welfare assessments, contributing to evidence-based animal welfare standards and more sustainable agricultural practices.
