During the week of June 6, the XXIV Sheep Forum took place in Valladolid, bringing together breeders, veterinarians and technicians from the sheep world of the Iberian Peninsula.
As a reference event in its field, there was a large attendance, being one of the sponsors of the event Boalvet AI, who stood out for being the company that offers alternatives to the problems raised.
On the first day of the XXIV Sheep Forum, it became clear that the sustainability and digitization are the challenges of the immediate future the sector is facing.
At the inaugural seminar, entitled "SHEEP: The most sustainable production model in Spanish livestock farming". The first speaker was Fernando Hernández, director of Granja Cerromonte. He stressed the need for social sustainability and the importance of preserving dairy farms to fight against rural depopulation, since this type of farming requires a larger labor force and therefore fixes the population in the territory.
In his opinion, the key point for the survival of livestock farms is profitability and this depends on key factors such as correct livestock management. For good management, he insisted that it is essential to increase the levels of quality, hygiene, health, animal welfare, sustainability... and this is only possible through the modernization of farms. In the words of Fermín López Gallego, Head of the Department of Animal Production at CICYTEX, sustainable digitalization is essential for the modernization of livestock farms, giving rise to an efficient production system, with a positive social impact and low environmental footprint.
In the final round table, with the speakers and Tomás Rodríguez, veterinary director of Interovic, the importance of precision livestock farming was once again emphasized, as well as the interdisciplinary work that veterinarians, computer scientists, programmers, etc. have ahead of them. For Boalvet, this is a clear priority, because without digitization there is no livestock farming tomorrow.
The morning of Wednesday, June 8, was dedicated to optimizing management and improving the efficiency and resilience of sheep. We highlight the presentation "Which sheep do we need?" Mr. José María González, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of León, a sheep specialist, emphasized that sheep farming models are in continuous evolution and diversification, and therefore each farm will have a specific sheep model adapted to its system. To achieve this objective, it is inevitable to work with precision livestock systems.
In another area, the round table organized on the new Regulation of Medicines was one of the most controversial debates of the forum, reflecting the tension that this new regulation brings. Livestock farms will soon be obliged to have a specific and individual health program. The 10% of Spanish sheep farms are above the reference value of antibiotic use per live weight at national level, which shows the urgency of the use of plant-based alternatives to laboratory antibiotics, the main line of work of Boalvet AI.
And on the last day held on Friday, June 10, it was Boalvet's turn. We participated in the seminar "Sheep in digital".. First, the presentation was held "PRESVET. Digital control of medication use on farms: the new module for livestock farmers." The presentation was given by María Hernández Nieves, General Sub-Directorate of Health, Animal Hygiene and Traceability of MAPA. She explained how this computerized system monitors and supervises the prescriptions of laboratory antibiotics in livestock farms with the aim of reporting their consumption to Brussels and controlling their use in food-producing animals.
After that, Álvaro Fdez-Blanco Barreto, CEO-Managing Director Boalvet AI, gave the presentation "Artificial Intelligence as a tool for sustainable livestock health management."He offered the keys to conceptualize the use of phytotherapy in milk production in an efficient way. He also spoke about the role of AI in the safe recommendation of plant extracts to optimize milk production and the legal framework that regulates these uses.
Finally, a round table was held where the real protagonists of this forum took part. Sheep farmers who shared their experiences at the round table. "How is sheep digitization progressing?". In a general feeling, we could see how they expressed the need to synchronize the pace of livestock digitization at the same pace as digitization evolves in the rest of the aspects of daily life.
The ideology of Boalvet AI is a true technological revolution, a clear commitment to the quality of life of dairy workers and animal welfare.
If you were not able to see the presentation given by Boalvet at the sheep forum, you can watch it below:
Presentation "Artificial Intelligence as a tool for sustainable management of livestock health" by Álvaro Fdez-Blanco Barreto, CEO-Managing Director Boalvet AI, given at the seminar "Sheep in digital" framed in the XXIV Sheep Forum, held on June 10, 2022.
Source: Substrate AI
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