Invited Review: Precision livestock farming technologies in swine intensive production
The intensification of swine production has raised concerns about animal welfare, environmental im-pact, and productivity. Precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies offer innovative solutions by leveraging sen-sors, automation, and artificial intelligence to enhance monitoring and management in pig farming. This review explores the current state of PLF applications in swine production, identifying key benefits and challenges associ-ated with their implementation. This review is based on a systematic analysis of peer-reviewed literature, including studies published be-tween 1990 and 2024. Data were gathered from electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, focusing on technologies for health monitoring, feeding op-timization, microclimate control, and welfare assessment in pigs. Precision livestock farming technologies have demonstrated their potential to improve productiv-ity, health, and welfare through early disease detection, automated feeding, and environmental control. Camera-based systems, sound analysis, and radio-frequency iden-tification tracking enhance real-time monitoring, and predictive maintenance reduces system failures. However, adoption remains limited because of high costs, technical complexity, and the need for producer training. Precision livestock farming represents a promising approach for optimizing swine production, but broader adoption requires cost-ef-fective solutions and interdisciplinary collaboration. Fu-ture research should focus on integrating PLF tools into practical farm settings, ensuring accessibility and user-friendly implementation to support sustainable and ethi-cal pig farming.
Authors
- Giovanna Martelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3137-6700)
- Luca Sardi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0937-8088)
- Giovanni Buonaiuto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7806-4977)
- Simona Belperio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2848-5384)
- Chris Sanzò (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4415-3366)
- Eleonora Nannoni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5431-6807)
Institutions
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Applied Animal Science
- Published
- 2026-05-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2025-02699
- Primary Topic
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00