Marks & Spencer has announced it has become the first UK retailer to introduce AI-powered animal welfare monitoring across its entire milk supply chain, covering all 46 farms in its milk pool.

The retailer has deployed the technology, developed by CattleEye, to monitor dairy cows while they are indoors. Cameras capture video footage that AI analyses to assess each animal's health and welfare in real time.

The technology creates an individual health profile for every cow by tracking factors including mobility, body condition, feeding habits, lying time and social interactions. It also generates a "cow comfort score", which vets and farmers can use alongside regular welfare inspections to identify potential health issues earlier.

M&S said the technology builds on existing in-person welfare assessments by providing continuous monitoring between veterinary visits.

The rollout follows trials on selected M&S dairy farms, where farmers used the data to improve herd management. Changes included adjusting bedding to better suit individual cows, altering feeding schedules to reduce the amount of time animals spend standing, and redesigning stalls to improve comfort.

According to CattleEye, the AI model was trained alongside veterinary experts and performs body-condition assessments to the same standard as a trained welfare assessor.

The AI rollout forms part of M&S's Plan A for Farming programme, through which the retailer has invested more than £7 million in agricultural innovation over the past decade, and has committed a further £7 million over the next five years.

Previous projects supported by the programme include trials of lower-emission cattle breeding, upgraded dairy parlour flooring and precision technology for parsnip production.

"M&S has always had market-leading welfare standards, and as we continue to support British farmers in this latest evolution of welfare monitoring, powered by AI, it will support farmers to give the best care to dairy cows," said Peter Kennedy, head of agriculture at M&S Food. "This latest innovation supports our Plan A for Farming to build resilience in British farming and continue to raise the bar on animal welfare."

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