A cattle farmer said he is not sure his farm would be able to run without artificial intelligence (AI) because of the insight the technology provides into his herd’s behaviour.
Paul Westaway, who farms in Dymock in Gloucestershire, uses a fitness tracker-style device on his cows – usually placed in their collar or as an additional ear tag – to track them.
The data gathered from each cow compares its behaviour from one week to the next, as well as that of the rest of the herd, helping to shine light on their health and whether they are in heat.
“AI works its way through and says ‘Cow Dolly is behaving in a different way than she normally does’,” explained Westaway.
