Automated voice recognition of verses emitted by pigs can implement animal welfare on farms. The experiment is described in the recent study conducted as part of the SoundWell research project and published in Scientific Reports. (1)
Animal welfare in pig verses
The researchers aimed to develop a system to recognize and distinguish pig vocalizations, the emotions they reflect and the situation that generated them.
The purpose is to catalog grunts, cries, squeaks and other noises so that the breeder can immediately recognize any critical issues that need to be handled.
An archive of 7,400 vocalizations
To construct this instrument, the study authors collected thousands of vocalizations emitted by pigs from birth to slaughter in various contexts. They recorded reactions to positive emotions, such as breastfeeding, and negative emotions, such as fighting.
The selection produced a collection of 7,400 good-quality vocalizations from 411 pigs. The recordings were then classified according to emotional valence and the situation the animal was in.
A translator of pigs’ emotions
The results show that artificial intelligence is very efficient in recognizing the emotional valence expressed by vocalizations (accuracy 91.5 percent) and the situation in which they were uttered (accuracy 82 percent).
In operational terms, the system can ‘recognize’ negative sounds and report them to the farmer in real time. Think of the piglet that was crushed by its mother or repeated and prolonged quarrels in breeding. In these cases, immediate intervention minimizes the animal’s stress and minimizes losses to its breeder.
‘Antibiotic-free’ pigs, when?
Animal welfare research should also consider, as a priority, the drastic reduction of antibiotic use, in a rationale that addresses the need to combat antibiotic resistance, in animals and humans.
It is in Italy-thanks to Algatan-that functional feeds based on algae, microalgae and tannins have been developed to strengthen the microbiome of livestock animals and lower the use of veterinary drugs.
Consumers have shown their appreciation for ‘antibiotic-free’ meats and meat products, but the production chain, despite Coop Italia’s urging with the ‘Let’s raise health‘ project, continues to neglect this great opportunity. Until when?
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Briefer, E.F., Sypherd, C.C.R., Linhart, P. et al. Classification of pig calls produced from birth to slaughter according to their emotional valence and context of production. Sci Rep 12, 3409 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07174-8
The SoundWel project is funded by the EU under the Animal Health and Welfare ERA-Net (ANIHWA) framework. INRAE (UMR PEGASE, coordination and UMRH, France), ETH Zürich (Switzerland) and University of Copenhagen (Danemark, coordination), FBN (Dümmerstorf, Germany), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Oslo, Norway), Institute of Animal Science – Czech University of Life Science (Prague, Czech Republic), Bureau ETRE (Olby, France) and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (Germany) are participating.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
