Facial recognition to cover three million Chinese pigs
© Adobe Stock Millions of Chinese pigs are set to be monitored using facial recognition equipment to track performance and behaviour.
More than 200 Chinese pig units are already using automatic face recognition systems in north-east China, as part of the early stages of a technology roll-out that will reach three million animals by 2024, The Guardian has reported.
The facial recognition technology (FRT), from JingQiShen Organic Agriculture, is one of several systems being trialled around the world.
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China is rebuilding its pig industry after it was decimated by African swine fever.
The first case was confirmed in August 2018 and 20-25% of the world’s pig population was subsequently killed.
Emerging data
Various scientific trials have confirmed video analysis of pigs’ faces can be used to accurately identify individual animals and monitor signs of stress.
FRT could benefit farmers around the world, who are willing to invest in the systems by growth without the need for radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags and monitor animal contentment in real time.
But The Guardian reported the technology will cost US$7 (£5.27) a pig plus software and database costs, compared with RFID tagging at US$0.30 (23p) a pig.
How can it help farmers?
Unlike RFID tags, FRT is non-invasive and is done automatically. Trials have found identification is 97% successful on minimally adjusted drinkers.
Precision livestock technologies could be developed from studying facial expression before, during and after key events (feeding, medication, resting, aggression) and formulating algorithms to alert pig keepers to issues.
Chinese reports suggest major savings can be made by improving growth rates from earlier identification of illness, less wasted feed, and an ability to respond to aggressive behaviour sooner.
How cameras can detect pig feelings from facial recognition
- When a pig retreats: Ears angle backwards and eyes close
- When a pig is aggressive: Ears point forward more and eyes close. Snout elongates and nose wrinkles during “snarling behaviour”
- Individual pigs can be recognised by wrinkles on the snout, the top of the head where markings are present and, to a lesser extent, the eye area
Source: Article in Nature
British research
Studies at Scotland’s Rural College’s (SRUC) pig research centre in Midlothian are capturing 2D and 3D images of sows’ faces to map how they appear in different emotional states.
Working with University of the West of England Bristol, SRUC researchers hope to evaluate several phenomena, including:
- Lameness through facial expression
- Contentment by studying sows before and after feeding and resting.
The work is being supported by JSR Genetics, the Garth Pig Group and Agsense, and is being funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.