Boosting digitalization in livestock farming with the work of GO LARRESNE and the NEIKER technology center

According to the newsletter of the Royal Spanish Federation of Associations of Selected Livestock (RFEAGAS), smart grazing is a digital response to the new demands of the dairy sector. The NEIKER technology center is part of the LARRESNE operational group, which aims to promote the digitalization of livestock farming, improve herd management, and strengthen product traceability.

The agri-food sector must address new consumer demands that focus on sustainability, animal welfare, and social responsibility. Consumers seek food that guarantees quality, traceability, and respect for the environment, but current certifications do not always allow for objective verification that animals are actually grazing, that is, feeding directly on grass. This situation highlights the need to develop digital solutions capable of monitoring livestock and controlling grazing activity, providing reliable information for both farmers and the market.

In this context, LARRESNE emerges, an operational group that integrates companies, technology centers and entities from the agri-food sector, with the aim of advancing the digitalization of the livestock sector, improving the management of herds and strengthening the traceability of products from grazing.

Among its members is the NEIKER technology center, an entity dependent on the Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government, which plays a prominent role in the initiative through the scientific validation and adaptation of the technological solutions applied in the farms.

A smart collar

Among the solutions presented at LARRESNE is RUMI, a smart collar that combines GPS and an accelerometer to continuously record the location and activity of animals while grazing. The device has a solar panel that provides autonomy, eliminating the need for constant battery changes and ensuring continuous and reliable animal monitoring, even on large farms or with animals grazing in remote areas.

“The device collects information that allows us to determine the animals’ activity: whether the animal is grazing, ruminating, resting, or moving around the pasture. This information is transmitted in real time to an application, making it easier for farmers to monitor each animal individually and plan their daily tasks,” explains Nerea Mandaluniz, a researcher in the Animal Production department at NEIKER.

Application in livestock

The tool is optimized for cattle and will be used on a dairy farm in Larresne. It will also be tested on Latxo sheep, adapting the technology to the specific needs of each sector. For cattle, the RUMI system has already been validated by NEIKER and allows farmers to receive immediate information about estrus, calving, and any potential health or welfare issues. This continuous monitoring helps farmers organize their tasks, anticipate various events, and contributes to improved animal welfare. Furthermore, it opens the possibility of certifying pasture-raised milk, providing traceability, differentiation, and transparency for the consumer.

To optimize the system, NEIKER is currently working on a cattle farm in Behialde, where it is continuously analyzing the data recorded by the device to verify its accuracy in identifying activity, welfare, and reproductive parameters in real time, thus enhancing its usefulness in the daily management of the farms. The project will also help Behialde to certify its pasture-raised milk.

Meanwhile, in the Latxo sheep sector, NEIKER is collecting information on the sheep flock at its headquarters in Arcaute, with the aim of adapting the technology to the needs of sheep and facilitating its future incorporation into the certification processes of animal feed linked to the Idiazabal PDO, which protects cheese production in specific areas of the Basque Country and Navarre.

Efficient task organization

The tool aims to provide benefits to the livestock sector that go beyond the early detection of health, welfare, or behavioral issues in animals. According to Mandaluniz, “the initiative focuses on supporting the sector in the efficient organization of farmers' daily tasks, improving work planning, anticipating potential events that may occur to the animals, and all of this will allow for optimized herd management.”

Furthermore, the digitization of grazing facilitates new management models based on continuous and objective information, which allow for optimizing time, anticipating the needs of the herd, and adapting interventions based on real data.

Additionally, the availability of accurate records allows for traceability and differentiation of products in the market, such as grass-fed milk certification, since the system provides verifiable evidence that supports traceability and compliance with production criteria, offering clear information to the consumer and facilitating its monitoring by the sector.

About LARRESNE

LARRESNE is an operational group launched in the 2024 call for proposals by the Basque Government, within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027. The initiative, which will conclude at the end of this year, comprises the technology center NEIKER, the BEHI-ALDE livestock farm (leading the cattle project), the KERIXARA cheese factory (for the sheep pilot project), EITFOOD, the startup INNOGANDO (technology provider), and the IDIAZABAL PDO Regulatory Council. This group aims to integrate technology and best livestock practices to improve animal welfare, ensure sustainable practices, and generate benefits for both animals and the environment. In this way, the project addresses both the needs of livestock farmers and current societal demands regarding animal health, sustainability, and welfare, while also strengthening the traceability and quality of grazing-derived products.