TailTech: Developing an early warning system for pig tail biting

生长猪咬尾受许多风险因素影响，但疫情可能在没有警告或明显原因的情况下开始。这种不可预测的咬尾会导致被咬猪的疼痛和疾病，并给农民带来严重的经济损失：通过尾部伤口感染导致屠宰场对肉类的谴责。小猪的对接在一定程度上有效地减少了后期的咬尾，但被视为不受欢迎的断尾，其常规使用在欧盟被禁止。我们针对这一长期存在的问题提出了创新的新解决方案，首先观察到猪在发生破坏性的咬尾爆发之前会保持尾巴向下。在早期的一个项目中，我们使用了3D摄像头，并开发了机器视觉软件，可以自动检测尾部姿态的变化。在这个项目中，我们将建立在我们有希望的早期可行性结果，开发一个原型决策支持系统，给农民的咬尾预警。在英国不同类型的猪场进行测试，包括断尾猪和未断尾猪，我们将评估其对猪生产者和育种者的福利和经济效益。TailTech用于全球养猪生产系统的国内需求和出口潜力巨大。解决咬尾和减少尾部对接涉及多学科的农场到叉的方法，这反映在我们的农业技术工程师，动物科学家，兽医和猪肉供应链合作伙伴的项目团队中。

Tail biting in growing pigs is affected by many risk factors, but an outbreak can start without warning or obvious cause. This unpredictable tail biting results in pain and sickness for bitten pigs and severe economic losses for farmers: infection through tail wounds results in abattoir condemnation of meat. Tail docking of piglets is partly effective at reducing tail biting in later life, but is seen as an undesirable mutilation and its routine use is banned in the EU. Our innovative new solution to this long-standing problem begins with the observation that pigs hold their tails down before a damaging tail biting outbreak starts. In an earlier project, we used 3D cameras and developed machine vision software that automatically detects these changes in tail posture. In this project we will build on our promising early feasibility results to develop a prototype decision support system to give farmers early warning of tail biting. Testing it on diverse pig farm types in the UK with both tail docked and undocked pigs, we will assess its welfare and economic benefits for pig producers and breeders. There is considerable domestic demand and export potential for TailTech for use in pig production systems globally. Tackling tail biting and reducing tail docking involves a multi-disciplinary farm to fork approach which is reflected in our project team of Agri-tech engineers, animal scientists, veterinarians and pork supply chain partners.