Precision farming in improvement of dairy cattle welfare

Abstract

The welfare of dairy cattle is a complex phenomenon, which requires multilevel, multidimensional and planned approach. Precision livestock farming (PLF) enables farm animal welfare focusing from the group level to monitoring and managing individual animals of different categories, which is enabled by use of new advanced technologies. The basic principle of precision agriculture is the use of sensor technologies in order to improve the efficiency of given narrow thresholds resource use. A range of precision livestock monitoring and control technologies have been developed, primarily to improve livestock production efficiency, but more precise and delicate use may be very applicable in early detection of certain conditions, for example initial lameness in dairy cows, real-time surveillance when calving, or distant body temperature variations measuring of individual animals, when early and more efficient therapeutic measures could be undertaken. Environmental monitoring and control in barns can improve animal comfort, and automatic milking systems facilitate animal choice and improve human-animal interactions. According literature data, previous and future investigations are encouraging possibility of PLF mechanisms use into automated barn surveillance systems in order to assess, control and improve dairy cattle welfare in entire production process through prompt reaction.