TailTech: Developing an early warning system for pig tail biting

生猪咬尾受到许多危险因素的影响，但疫情可能在没有警告或明显原因的情况下爆发。这种不可预测的咬尾会给被咬的猪带来痛苦和疾病，并给农民造成严重的经济损失：通过尾巴伤口感染导致屠宰场对肉类进行谴责。断尾在一定程度上可以有效地减少仔猪日后咬尾的现象，但这被视为一种不受欢迎的致残行为，在欧盟被禁止常规使用。我们对这个长期存在的问题的创新解决方案始于观察，猪在破坏性咬尾爆发之前会放下尾巴。在早期的一个项目中，我们使用3D相机并开发了机器视觉软件，可以自动检测尾巴姿势的这些变化。在这个项目中，我们将基于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，为农民提供咬尾预警。在英国不同类型的养猪场对断尾猪和未断尾猪进行测试，我们将评估其对养猪生产者和饲养者的福利和经济效益。TailTech在全球养猪生产系统中有相当大的国内需求和出口潜力。解决咬尾和减少断尾涉及多学科农场到餐桌的方法，这反映在我们的项目团队的农业技术工程师，动物科学家，兽医和猪肉供应链合作伙伴。

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.