MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 8, 2014) – With the approval of a project that will develop a computer-aided remote expert system model, monitoring of animals can be done away from the farm.
The project integrates animal and computer sciences to help the swine industry achieve significant improvement in productivity. Funded by Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, it will be led by scientists from the Animal Sciences and Dairy Cluster of the University of the Philippines Los Baños in collaboration with the operators of commercial swine farms.
The swine industry is the second largest contributor in the Philippines’ agricultural gross domestic product (14.28% in 2012). Pork is the most popular meat in the country providing about 60% of the protein requirement of Filipinos.
Through the CARE system model, early detection of stress-related responses such as coughing (respiration), eating, drinking, standing, lying, defecation, body weight, and body condition score of animals in farm houses with and without evaporative cooling systems can be done via a web-based video recording system.
Timely detection of behavioral discrepancies among animals can result to appropriate decisions and remedial measures to be implemented.
The project will use the radio frequency identification system of tracking and identifying animals along the farm to market channels.
This project shall improve swine farm production productivity and efficiency by minimizing the entry of personnel to the farm, thus reducing the risks of disease transfer; and providing early warning protocols that allows real time identification and monitoring of animals which show signs of behavioral stress.
And assisting the farm manager in timing of estrus of sows and replacement gilts. This allows timely insemination resulting to higher sow productivity;
achieving a more efficient work output on the part of the caretakers with the use of a monitoring system through a surveillance camera.
The surveillance camera linked to a computer software determines and records duration and frequency of specific animal behavioral patterns that are associated with swine reproductive and production performances. This will provide reliable inputs to decision making in the farm.
These technological applications shall help achieve a more sophisticated, accurate, and effective farm management towards an improved and productive Philippine swine industry. (Mark Lester Fernando)
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