Lead DIGIT Lab Academics: Professor Sarah Hartley &  Dr. Hugh Williamson

This project explores the perspective of stakeholders in British agriculture on the current and potential uses of digital technologies such as sensors, scanners, imaging and machine learning in livestock farming, as well as the social and ethical issues that these technologies raise. The research aims to contribute to developing frameworks for responsible governance of digital livestock technologies, at the levels of policy as well as technology development. 

Towards this end, the research team conducted interviews and focus groups in spring and summer 2023 with a wide range of stakeholders, including digital technology developers, animal breeders, veterinarians, farmers, and animal welfare experts. 

In 2024, the research team will pursue further research and collaborations on the governance of data in livestock farming and identifying pathways for the development of sustainable, scale-appropriate digital technologies for diverse farming systems.