NOBLE FOODS has begun an on-farm trial using acoustic monitoring and artificial intelligence to gather continuous information about laying hen welfare.
The Innovate UK-funded project is being delivered with agri-tech businesses AgriSound and Aviasenze. It is initially being hosted on a commercial free-range farm in East Yorkshire, with the technology also being tested at one of Noble Foods’ barn laying sites.
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Testing the system across both housing types is intended to show whether it can provide useful information under different management and environmental conditions. Noble Foods describes it as the first UK egg-sector application of an acoustic monitoring system developed specifically for laying hens.
Monitoring flock sound patterns
The technology analyses the soundscape inside poultry houses, using machine-learning models to identify patterns in flock vocalisations and activity.
Changes in those patterns may be associated with shifts in bird behaviour, health or environmental conditions. The trial will assess whether this information can alert farm teams to potential issues earlier and support more proactive flock management.
Existing welfare monitoring combines daily stockmanship with farm standards, audits and assurance schemes. Noble Foods said the project would investigate whether continuous, non-invasive monitoring could add another layer of evidence alongside those established methods.
Emily Marshall, agriculture sustainability manager at Noble Foods, said the technology was “not about replacing good stockmanship but complementing it with better data”.
Free-range and barn trials
The free-range element of the project is being hosted by Happy Egg producer Will Waind, who recently returned to egg production.
Mr Waind said farmers needed to identify small changes before they developed into more serious problems but could not be present in every part of a poultry house at all times. He said the monitoring system could provide another set of “ears in the shed”.
The partners will use data collected during the project to develop and test welfare-monitoring algorithms. The practical value of the system, including its ability to help farmers identify and respond to potential flock problems, will also be assessed.
Two-year project
It is Noble Foods’ second project with AgriSound, following an earlier trial using bioacoustic technology to monitor pollinators on farms.
Results will be reviewed throughout the two-year trial and shared with egg producers and other industry stakeholders, including Innovate UK. Noble Foods said the work would help establish where acoustic monitoring could add value and where further technical development would be required.
