H2020 CATTLECHAIN 4.0 Project: Improving agricultural productivity and ensuring livestock traceability and welfare with blockchain

The analysis of the direct payment scheme and farm incomes conducted by DG-AGRI shows that, on average, around 50% of European livestock farms depend on subsidies. Currently, precision farming is only profitable for large farms, and the investment is always difficult to recover. Furthermore, there is a growing demand for more information on food quality, safety, and traceability. Therefore, the EU livestock sector needs innovative tools to (i) increase its efficiency and become an attractive activity for younger generations and (ii) ensure full transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain.

In this context, the CATTLECHAIN 4.0 project aims to develop a comprehensive smart solution to help the EU livestock sector overcome the aforementioned challenges. By recording various cow parameters with IoT wearables and analyzing this data with AI algorithms, farmers gain a decision-support tool on the status of their farm, enabling them to take immediate action if any issues arise and prevent losses or health problems. Furthermore, by aggregating data from multiple cows and farms on a blockchain-based cloud platform, consumers and public authorities can access a traceability tool with accurate and secure data on the meat and dairy supply chain.

Finally, aligned with consumer demands and using information collected by IoT wearables, an Animal Welfare Seal will be created to guarantee that meat and dairy products meet the highest animal welfare standards. These innovative technologies and services will be validated in ambitious test scenarios involving 5,000 cows. The project will boost the growth of both industries involved: on the one hand, the coordinator SENSO, a tech startup that will exponentially increase its turnover, and on the other, NATRUS, a company specializing in premium burgers, which will gain a competitive advantage by being able to fully trace its products.