THE poultry industry must respond to the growing requirements of proactively engaged consumers, or“ prosumers”

Growth in poultry farming has been relentless and rising to meet that growth are digital technologies that can offer producers an enormous efficiency advantage. Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech, presented“ Flocking to Digital: The Future of Poultry Technology” to an audience of 250 people during the Alltech Annual Breakfast Meeting at the International Production & Processing Expo. Connolly’ s presentation focused on innovation, the future of farming and disruptive digital technologies for the global poultry industry.

Despite the continued preference for pork in Asia, current growth means that global chicken meat consumption will exceed that of pork by 2022.

Connolly discussed eight digital technologies that serve as a useful framework to describe novel technologies arriving in the marketplace that can help producers manage their flocks in a more efficient and sustainable way:

1. 3D printing: Poultry operations could benefit from the on-site printing of plastic or metal parts when they require replacing. 3D printing also has life-saving applications, such as reproducing feet, legs and even beaks.

2. Robots: Repetitive tasks such as cleaning and sanitizing facilities, collecting eggs and checking birds present opportunities for robots in the poultry industry. Robots are more precise and thorough about the work they do compared to their human counterparts. They could be used to prevent and control disease and infection in poultry houses and to evaluate environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, ammonia, sound and brightness.

3. Drones: They may not have a place in chicken houses / barns, as the drone could make the flock nervous and cause undue stress. However, with free-range or yardkept chickens and turkeys that roam fields freely, there would be a better application for drone technology, which could herd, protect and monitor them.

4. Sensors: The easiest of the eight technologies to implement, sensors have lower costs and immediate benefits. They have been designed to measure ammonia, regulate and control ventilation and temperature, monitor carbon dioxide and control lighting for an environment that stimulates better growth efficiencies in birds and reduces costs.

5. Artificial intelligence( AI): AI technologies have become the backbone of many other technologies. Robots, for example, use AI in the processing plant to improve efficiencies. Automating procedures such as chicken deboning requires recognition of the shape and size of each chicken and individual adaptation. Artificial intelligence is the perfect

technology for this application. By combining technologies, robots perform the work that AI instructs them to do based on the data that sensors collect.

6. Augmented reality( AR): Augmented, or enhanced, reality is the ability to see things that the human eye cannot, using the non-visible spectrums of light, or to overlay information, including

data interpretation, alongside what the person sees..

7. Virtual reality( VR): The most obvious application for VR in the poultry industry is training, particularly processing. It could teach line workers in the processing plant the ideal way to trim meat from birds. Applied to free-range layer houses, it could teach employees how to walk through the house without frightening the birds, find errant eggs and check on hens.

8. Blockchain: The opportunity for blockchain in the poultry industry centres around its ability to resolve food safety and transparency issues. Large food retailers are working with IBM using blockchain technology to secure digital records and monitor supply chain management, ensuring the traceability of the poultry products sold in stores. Blockchain can be used to monitor all aspects of the food supply chain, from farmers and producers to processors and distributors.

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