Sensor-based wearable technologies are transforming how farmers and vets monitor animal health and welfare in real time, enabling earlier intervention and better outcomes for farm and companion animals.
Welfare technology offers genuine improvements in animal monitoring and early intervention. Animals suffer when health problems go undetected — a cow with early mastitis or a horse with developing lameness experiences pain that escalates the longer it goes untreated. Continuous monitoring can reduce the duration of untreated suffering significantly. However, technology is not a substitute for good husbandry or adequate staffing — it is a tool that enhances human oversight. There are also concerns about the use of monitoring data to intensify production rather than improve welfare.