Sheep worn wearable alerts farmers to lameness

Sheep are good at hiding lameness, which has prompted researchers to develop a smart wearable device that automatically detects the condition and could help stop it spreading in flocks.

Lameness in sheep costs the sector around £80m a year and over 90 per cent of farmers in the UK report the condition in their flocks, most of which is caused by footrot.

Sheep are a ‘prey’ species so are likely to mask signs of lameness when they feel threatened, or enlivened by the presence of observing farmers and vets. To date, diagnosis has been difficult and relies on visual inspection because there are no validated commercial tools available.

The new technical feasibility study and prototype tagging and monitoring system has been developed by Nottingham University Vet School researcher, Associate Professor Jasmeet Kaler, with Intel and agricultural software developer Farm Wizard.

Dr Kaler said: “Our new system is a smart device – a wearable technology that we hope will be a game-changing investment for sheep farmers and a first for the industry. It consists of a sensing device worn on a sheep’s ear tag that gathers accelerometer and gyroscope data effectively tracking the animal’s behaviour and movement, as well as its gait.