Precision Livestock Innovations in Sheep Farming

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Small Ruminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2023) | Viewed by 11709

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, UK
Interests: veterinary parasitology; eDNA; climate change; disease diagnostics; spatial modelling
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, UK
Interests: veterinary parasitology; anthelmintic resistance; eDNA; intermediate snail host; sheep
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, UK
Interests: PLF; livestock behavior; disease diagnostics; sensors; cattle; sheep

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Precision farming is becoming increasingly widespread in many aspects of modern agriculture, including within livestock production systems. Precision livestock farming (PLF) revolves around monitoring attributes from individual animals where possible and using these data to generate opportunities to tailor the management of individuals for greater productivity, sustainability, welfare, and reduced inputs.

Significant progress is being made in the development and industry adoption of PLF innovations in many livestock sectors; however, there remains considerable scope for, and a requirement for, research that addresses the specific challenges and needs of precision management in the sheep sector.

Challenges for the sheep sector include the predominance of outdoor grazing systems creating physical distance between farmers and livestock; large flock sizes in many regions of the world; and the lower value of animals compared to other livestock sectors such as dairy production, which makes investment more challenging.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present research and reviews that will address the question of which precision livestock innovations can be successfully developed for use in sheep farming and how they can lead to greater productivity, sustainability, improved welfare, and reduced inputs.

Dr. Hefin Williams
Dr. Rhys Aled Jones
Dr. Manod Williams
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • sheep
  • precision livestock farming
  • innovation
  • technology
  • sensors
  • smart farming

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 510 KiB  
Article
Associations between Gastrointestinal Nematode Infection Burden and Lying Behaviour as Measured by Accelerometers in Periparturient Ewes
by Eiry Gwenllian Williams, Chelsea N. Davis, Manod Williams, Dewi Llyr Jones, David Cutress, Hefin Wyn Williams, Peter M. Brophy, Michael T. Rose, Rebekah B. Stuart and Rhys Aled Jones
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2393; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182393 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1473
Abstract
The application of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies will underpin new strategies to support the control of livestock disease. However, PLF technology is underexploited within the sheep industry compared to other livestock sectors, and research is essential to identify opportunities for PLF applications. [...] Read more.
The application of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies will underpin new strategies to support the control of livestock disease. However, PLF technology is underexploited within the sheep industry compared to other livestock sectors, and research is essential to identify opportunities for PLF applications. These opportunities include the control of endemic sheep disease such as parasitic gastroenteritis, caused by gastrointestinal nematode infections, which is estimated to cost the European sheep industry EUR 120 million annually. In this study, tri-axial accelerometers recorded the behaviour of 54 periparturient Welsh Mule ewes to discover if gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection burden, as measured by faecal egg count (FEC), was associated with behavioural variation. Linear mixed models identified that increasing FECs in periparturient ewes were significantly associated with a greater number of lying bouts per day and lower bout durations (p = 0.013 and p = 0.010, respectively). The results demonstrate that FECs of housed periparturient ewes are associated with detectable variations in ewe behaviour, and as such, with further investigation there is potential to develop future targeted selective treatment protocols against GIN in sheep based on behaviour as measured by PLF technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Livestock Innovations in Sheep Farming)
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Review

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28 pages, 832 KiB  
Review
Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare
by Severiano R. Silva, Laura Sacarrão-Birrento, Mariana Almeida, David M. Ribeiro, Cristina Guedes, José Ramiro González Montaña, Alfredo F. Pereira, Konstantinos Zaralis, Ana Geraldo, Ouranios Tzamaloukas, Marta González Cabrera, Noemí Castro, Anastasio Argüello, Lorenzo E. Hernández-Castellano, Ángel J. Alonso-Diez, María J. Martín, Luis G. Cal-Pereyra, George Stilwell and André M. de Almeida
Animals 2022, 12(7), 885; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070885 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 8974
Abstract
Sheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems, there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, [...] Read more.
Sheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems, there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context. An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability. The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects, but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments, in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with current concerns with the environment and welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Livestock Innovations in Sheep Farming)
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