New animal welfare assessment system
The issue of animal welfare has become central to our society. Today, animal welfare is a key consideration not only for consumers and farmers, but also for all those involved in the production and trade of animal products. To date, however, objective practical assessment of animal welfare remains cumbersome and all too open to anthropomorphic interpretation (behaviour, morphology). The assessment is based on visual observations using pre-established guides and the quantification of recognised physiological markers (invasive).
Competitive advantages
- non-invasive tool
- can be used routinely
- speed (the response is obtained in one second)
- ease of use (no specific training is required to use it)
- no preparation of the animal (collection directly from the skin, no need to insert a needle)
Application
- Animal health and welfare
Intellectual property
- Patent
Development stage
Laboratory validation of the technology
Laboratory
PURPAN Engineering School
Description
Non-invasive device for assessing and predicting the level of well-being, stress and, more generally, the emotional state of an animal
Neutral environment: basic emotional level
Stress/emotion: variation in the animal's basal state, unbalanced emotional homeostasis
Technical specifications
- Prototype using a commercial near-infrared spectrometer (MicroNIR Onsite), perpendicular to the measurement area
- Type of samples: wet (blood, sweat, urine, faeces), dry (mucous membranes such as the ear, armpit, udder), remote
- Proof of concept in chicks, rats and calves showing 90% to 100% reliable prediction of the animal's emotional state