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CattleEye is an artificial intelligence system designed to quickly detect and predict lameness in cows and to provide critical data to assess the body condition score.

The Northern Ireland-based company launched a Body Condition Scoring (BCS) system for dairy cows, which requires a security camera to be placed at the exit of a milking parlour. The system uses the latest in AI to derive insights from the video footage of cows walking past the camera.

The company has added the BCS insight to its product portfolio using the same camera, allowing customers the flexibility of having either or both locomotion and BCS insights using a camera that costs around £100.

CattleEye says that implementing BCS management can significantly enhance dairy farm profitability through several key economic factors:

• Optimising rations: By managing the body condition of dairy cows, farmers can fine-tune feed rations to match their nutritional needs and maximise feed utilisation efficiency. This control over income over feed costs can result in savings of up to $0.50 per cow per day, equating to annual savings of approximately $180 per cow

• Reducing metabolic diseases: Proper BCS management helps prevent over- or under-conditioning, reducing metabolic diseases, such as ketosis and fatty liver. These reductions can save up to $150 per cow annually on veterinary costs and lost productivity

• Improving greenhouse gas efficiency: Optimally conditioned cows are more productive and healthier, which leads to improved feed conversion efficiency. This can reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk produced by up to 10%, enhancing environmental sustainability and potentially reducing costs associated with environmental compliance

CattleEye was founded in 2019 by ag-tech entrepreneur Terry Canning, the son of a dairy farmer, and Adam Askew, a senior software architect with over ten years of experience using deep learning image analytics to detect cancerous tumors. Launched in April 2021, the system is currently being used to monitor over 100,000 cows worldwide.

The latest innovation follows GEA’s acquisition of CattleEye in March this year. At the time, Peter Lauwers, CEO of the GEA farm technologies division, said: “With the trend towards larger and more automated dairy farms, the need to monitor and track animals and production is becoming increasingly important. By adding CattleEye’s advanced AI technology, we are expanding our DairyNet portfolio for modern herd management. This can be a game changer for farmers to improve herd health, farm productivity and financial stability.”

This is the latest in a number of innovations designed to improve the management of cattle herds. Last month, 406Bovine launched AI facial recognition software for livestock, designed to rapidly identify cattle in an unconfined setting by capturing animal-specific facial data. The month prior, British retailer Sainsbury's installed a new AI ‘vet tech’ to improve welfare and efficiency on dairy farms.

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