Smart4Welfare Newsletter 1
Editorial
We are pleased to present the first newsletter of Smart4Welfare, a research project dedicated to advancing animal welfare and sustainable livestock systems through the adoption of smart technologies.
Smart4Welfare examines the socio-economic factors shaping farmers’ decisions to adopt smart farming technologies (SFTs) and participate in herd health programs (HHPs). These approaches aim to improve animal health and welfare (AHW) and enhance sustainability across diverse EU dairy farming systems. Although SFTs offer strong potential – particularly for early detection of health and welfare issues in individual animals – they remain underutilized. As herd sizes grow and skilled farm labor becomes scarce and more costly, the role of SFTs in AHW management is increasingly important.
HHPs are a key strategy for managing AHW at the herd level. Their data-intensive nature can be effectively supported by SFTs, which facilitate data collection and analysis. However, knowledge gaps persist regarding how SFTs are integrated into HHPs across EU dairy systems. HHP design varies considerably in scope, frequency of analysis, and involvement of experts such as veterinarians. Incentive structures also differ, ranging from industry-led initiatives to state-supported schemes within national CAP strategic plans, with some regions lacking formal HHPs altogether.
Smart4Welfare addresses these gaps by investigating the use of SFTs in AHW management, the role and design of HHPs, and the economic and sustainability outcomes of this nexus for dairy farms.
Ants-Hannes Viira
Coordinator of the Smart4Welfare
Project highlights
- Bridging key knowledge gaps. Smart4Welfare addresses the limited understanding of how SFTs and herd health HHPs interact and contribute to improved animal health, welfare, and farm sustainability across EU dairy systems.
- Focus on farmer decision-making. The project explores the socio-economic, behavioral, and practical factors that influence farmers’ adoption of SFTs and participation in HHPs.
- Comprehensive, multi-method research. Combining desk studies, expert interviews, case studies, surveys, Living Labs, and international workshops, Smart4Welfare ensures robust and practice-oriented insights.
- Comparative analysis across countries. The project maps and compares HHPs in Estonia, Finland, Germany, and Slovakia, highlighting differences in design, data use, and incentive structures.
- Strong multi-actor approach. Farmers, veterinarians, industry stakeholders, technology providers, and policymakers are actively engaged throughout the research process to ensure relevance and impact.
- Towards actionable solutions. Findings will support the development of effective technologies, better-designed incentive schemes, and evidence-based policies to enhance animal welfare and sustainability.
WP1 Smart farming technologies for animal health and welfare
Smart farming technologies (SFTs)—such as activity sensors, body condition cameras, rumen boluses, milk analyzers, positioning systems, and thermal imaging—are increasingly available and already used in modern dairy farming. As herd sizes grow, farmers adopt these technologies to streamline workflows, improve monitoring of cows and herds, reduce labour demands, and support data-driven decision-making.
But how do these technologies contribute to animal health and welfare (AHW)? This key question is at the heart of Work Package 1 (WP1) of the Smart4Welfare project. WP1 investigates how SFTs are used in practice to assess, manage, and improve the health and welfare of dairy cows.
In spring 2026, the project team conducted a comprehensive desk study and literature review across Estonia, Finland, Germany, and Slovakia. The results show that most existing research focuses on economic and labour-related benefits of SFTs. Evidence on their direct contribution to AHW is more limited, with early disease detection identified as the primary benefit—potentially reducing the need for medication and improving treatment outcomes.
At the same time, there is a clear lack of insight into farmers’ perspectives on using SFTs for AHW management. WP1 addresses this gap by exploring farmers’ motivations, experiences, and practical use of these technologies, as well as barriers to wider adoption.
The next phase includes expert interviews, case studies on dairy farms, and a large-scale farmer survey. These activities will provide deeper understanding of both the benefits and challenges of SFT use in real-life farming contexts.
By combining these insights, Smart4Welfare aims to strengthen the role of SFTs in improving animal health and welfare, while supporting more sustainable and resilient dairy production systems.
Partner countries
The Smart4Welfare consortium brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers from four European countries:
- Estonia is represented by the Estonian Dairy Cluster, which also coordinates the project. The team includes Ants-Hannes Viira (PhD), Kerli Mõtus (DVM), Matis Pääslane (DVM) and Hardi Tamm.
- Finland is represented by the Unit of Measurement Technology at the University of Oulu. The team members are Anri Timonen (DVM), Pekka Kilpeläinen (PhD), and Elisa Tikkanen.
- Germany is represented by the Chair of Agricultural Production and Resource Economics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The team consists of Johannes Sauer (PhD), Fabian Frick (PhD), Natascha Schlereth, and Anette Schantz.
- Slovakia is represented by the National Agricultural and Food Centre (NPPC). The team includes Miroslav Zahradník (PhD), Jan Tomka (PhD), Vladimir Tančin (PhD), and Olga Urbanovičová (PhD).
WP2 Herd health management
Herd health programs and quality assurance schemes are designed to ensure good animal health and welfare at the herd level, prevent disease, and support farm profitability, while also ensuring high product quality and food safety. However, there is still limited knowledge on how these systems are implemented in different countries and which elements farmers find useful in practice.
WP2 of Smart4Welfare compares herd health programs and quality assurance schemes in Estonia, Finland, Germany and Slovakia. It looks at how these systems are organized, what data they use, how information flows within farms and between different parties, and what drives participation. By combining desk study, expert interviews, case studies, a farmer survey and Living Lab discussions, WP2 explores not only how these systems are designed, but also how useful they feel in practice to farmers.
One early insight is clear: there is no single model.
Finland stands out with a strong, business sector-led herd health data register. Germany follows a more quality-, audit- and standards-based approach. Estonia is shaped mainly by voluntary farm payments-linked participation for higher animal health and welfare practices and standards. Slovakia, in turn, currently appears to rely more on performance recording, milk analysis and conformance audits of public sector than on one integrated national herd health program.
Understanding that these systems differ across countries highlights the need for a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as insight into which elements farmers themselves find most useful and practical in everyday herd health management.
Different systems, different incentives, different farmer experiences — and valuable lessons for the future of animal health and welfare management.
Methodological approach
Smart4Welfare applies a comprehensive and participatory research approach across four countries, structured into three research work packages and a coordination and communication component.
The research follows a stepwise methodology. It begins with a state-of-the-art review and expert interviews to map current knowledge on smart farming technologies (SFTs) and herd health programmes (HHPs). This is followed by in-depth case studies on representative dairy farms, providing practical insights into real-life use of technologies and health management practices. A large-scale farm survey then ensures that findings are robust and representative at the national and regional levels.
A key feature of the project is its Living Lab approach, where farmers, veterinarians, industry stakeholders, and policymakers actively participate in discussions to validate results and share experiences. These are complemented by international workshops that enable cross-country learning.
Together, this multi-method and multi-actor approach ensures that the project delivers scientifically sound, practice-oriented, and policy-relevant insights to support sustainable dairy farming.
WP3 Economics on smart farming technology-driven animal health and welfare improvements
Work Package 3 (WP3), led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), addresses a central question for the future of dairy farming: what motivates farmers to adopt smart farming technologies (SFTs) and participate in herd health programmes (HHPs) to improve animal health and welfare (AHW)?
Improving AHW is not only a matter of technological availability. It also depends on whether innovations are economically viable, practically manageable, and aligned with farmers’ values and farm objectives. WP3 therefore focuses on understanding both the economic and behavioural drivers behind adoption decisions.
A key objective of WP3 is to identify the main barriers and enablers of SFT and HHP uptake. Particular attention is given to cost–benefit relationships, investment risks, and incentive mechanisms, as these are critical factors shaping farmers’ choices. By analysing how economic considerations interact with beliefs, attitudes, and farm strategies, WP3 helps explain why promising innovations are adopted in some contexts but not in others.
To achieve this, WP3 applies a comprehensive methodological approach, combining literature reviews, expert interviews, farm-level case studies, and a large-scale farmer survey. This allows for a detailed assessment of adoption dynamics, including perceived benefits, costs, and practical challenges.
A distinctive feature of WP3 is its strong focus on incentive systems and the broader impacts of adoption on farm performance and sustainability. The findings will provide valuable evidence for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and technology developers, supporting the design of effective and realistic strategies.
Ultimately, WP3 helps ensure that improvements in animal health and welfare are not only technically feasible, but also economically sound and practically achievable for dairy farmers.
Consortium met for a kick-off meeting in Slovakia
On 12 and 13 February 2026, the project partners met for the kick-off meeting in Nitra, Slovakia.
The first day of the meeting started with presentations by stakeholders from the Slovak dairy sector, the Slovak Simmental and Holstein associations, agricultural technology dealers, a local farmer and researchers from the project partner NPPC on current trends in dairy production, cattle welfare and the use of technology solutions in the country. In addition, German, Finnish and Estonian project researchers presented the structure of their own country’s dairy sector, the use of technologies in monitoring the health and welfare of dairy cows and the livestock health care programmes implemented in the countries. The day ended with a project planning session.
On the second day of the meeting, the project consortium visited the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture and met with representatives of the ministry from the departments related to animal welfare and agricultural subsidies. Some of the ministry representatives also participated in the Thursday meeting day, listening to presentations from the project countries. Slovakia does not have a national dairy cattle health care program and the collection of health and welfare data collected from dairy cows has been fragmented and implemented by several actors. The ministry representatives were very interested in the project to be implemented and thanked the Thursday presentations, from which they gained a lot of new insights for putting together their own national structures supporting the health and welfare of dairy cows.
Policy corner
EU Livestock Strategy: A New Direction for Healthier, Smarter and More Sustainable Dairy Farming
In July 2026, the European Commission presented its new EU Livestock Strategy, setting out a long-term vision for a livestock sector that is competitive, resilient, sustainable and socially accepted. Rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all model, the strategy recognizes the diversity of European livestock systems and seeks to support farmers in adapting to economic, environmental and societal challenges while maintaining viable food production.
Why do animal health and welfare matter?
Animal health and welfare are central pillars of the new strategy. Dairy cattle are increasingly exposed to challenges such as climate change, heat stress, emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and changing societal expectations. Poor health and welfare lead to reduced productivity, higher veterinary costs, increased greenhouse gas emissions per liter of milk, and economic losses for farmers. Conversely, healthy animals are more productive, live longer, require fewer treatments, and produce milk more efficiently.
The strategy stresses that disease prevention must become a priority. It identifies biosecurity weaknesses, animal disease outbreaks and insufficient preparedness as key risks for the future of the livestock sector. Stakeholders consulted by the Commission highlighted the need to move from reactive disease control towards preventive herd health management, stronger biosecurity and wider use of vaccination.
Animal welfare is also receiving growing attention from consumers and policymakers. The strategy acknowledges strong public demand for better living conditions for farm animals, more transparency in food production and higher welfare standards throughout the supply chain.
Why is digitalization important?
The Commission sees digitalization as a key enabler of healthier and more welfare-friendly dairy farming. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies—including sensors, automated monitoring systems, herd management software and decision-support tools—can help farmers detect health and welfare problems earlier and manage herds more efficiently.
Examples include wearable sensors that monitor activity, rumination and heat stress; automated systems that detect mastitis or lameness; and management platforms that analyze data and provide decision support. These technologies support a preventive approach to herd health by enabling farmers to identify risks before they become serious problems.
The strategy notes that adoption of digital technologies remains relatively limited in grazing livestock systems, creating significant potential for further uptake. Better use of digital tools can improve animal welfare, reduce disease incidence, optimize feeding and breeding decisions, and strengthen farm resilience.
How the EU plans to support change
The strategy relies primarily on incentives rather than regulation. Animal health and welfare are identified as priority areas in the proposed post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Member States will be expected to include measures supporting better animal health, disease prevention, welfare improvements and more sustainable livestock systems in their national plans.
Support instruments could include:
- Investment aid for improved housing, feeding systems, health monitoring equipment and welfare-friendly infrastructure.
- Funding for biosecurity measures, disease prevention and herd health management.
- Eco-schemes and agri-environment measures rewarding grazing, extensive livestock systems and higher welfare standards.
- New transition payments to help farmers adopt more resilient and sustainable production practices.
- Advisory services, training programmes and knowledge-transfer activities to promote uptake of innovation.
- Research and innovation funding through Horizon Europe and the European Partnership for Animal Health and Welfare (EUPAHW).
- Policy and market incentives for dairy farmers
The strategy combines public support with market-based opportunities.
The main policy incentives include:
- CAP income support and coupled payments for ruminant livestock systems.
- Animal welfare eco-schemes and agri-environmental payments.
- Investment grants for digital technologies, livestock equipment and welfare improvements.
- Support for grazing systems, grassland management and extensive dairy farming.
- Disease prevention, biosecurity and crisis management measures.
The strategy also highlights opportunities for farmers and the dairy industry to capture additional value through:
- Animal welfare and origin labelling that allows consumers to reward higher production standards.
- Organic dairy production and other quality schemes that can command price premiums.
- Carbon farming schemes rewarding improved grassland management and greenhouse gas reductions.
- Emerging nature credit markets linked to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- Stronger producer organisations and supply-chain cooperation to improve farmers’ bargaining power and market returns.
Looking ahead
The EU Livestock Strategy sends a clear message: the future competitiveness of the dairy sector will increasingly depend on healthy animals, high welfare standards and smarter use of technology. By combining public support, innovation funding and emerging market opportunities, the EU aims to help dairy farmers transition towards systems that are more resilient, more sustainable and better aligned with consumer expectations. For research projects working on herd health, welfare assessment and precision livestock farming, the strategy provides a strong policy framework supporting the development and uptake of digital solutions across Europe.
Resources
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