Special Session #15

SPECIAL SESSION #15

Annalisa Scollo

Department of Veterinary Sciences – University of Turin, Italy

• annalisa.scollo@unito.it

Flaviana Gottardo

Department of Animal Medicine Production and Health – MAPS

• flaviana.gottardo@unipd.it

Guido Di Martino

Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of the Veneto

• gdimartino@izsvenezie.it

This special session explores how precision measurement, sensing technologies, and data-driven approaches can support the transition toward more sustainable and welfare-oriented pig farming systems. As pig production increasingly moves toward alternative housing and higher welfare standards, the need for objective, continuous, and non-invasive monitoring tools has become crucial.

The session will focus on the development, validation, and on-farm application of advanced sensors and instrumentation to assess pig health, behaviour, and environmental conditions. Emphasis will be placed on measurement approaches that enable quantitative welfare assessment, early detection of health and management issues, and improved decision-making at farm level.

Key topics include:

• non-invasive physiological and behavioural monitoring;
• environmental sensing;
• sensor calibration and validation;
• data acquisition and signal processing, and the integration of monitoring systems into decision-support tools for precision pig farming;
• Contributions combining:
• engineering, veterinary, and animal science perspectives are particularly encouraged;
• especially those demonstrating how precision technologies can simultaneously improve animal welfare;
• production efficiency, and environmental sustainability.

The session aims to foster dialogue between researchers, engineers, and practitioners, highlighting innovative solutions and practical applications that can drive the future of welfare-friendly pig production.

Annalisa Scollo graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 2009 and has devoted her entire career to pig production, combining clinical practice as a veterinarian practitioner with academic research. After obtaining a PhD in pig welfare at the University of Padua, she worked for more than ten years as a farm consultant in pig health, management and welfare. In 2020, she joined the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Turin, where she has been an Associate Professor since 2023.
Her research activities focus on biosecurity in pig farms, disinfection procedures at farm level and in livestock transport vehicles, precision pig farming, and biomarkers in pigs. In 2022, she obtained the Diploma of the European College of Porcine Health and Management (ECPHM).

Prof. Flaviana Gottardo graduated in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Padova in 1992 and obtained her PhD in Animal Science at the University of Padova in 1996, including a research period at the University of Cambridge within the Animal Welfare and Human-Animal Interactions Group. She is currently a Full Professor of Farm Animal Husbandry and Welfare at the University of Padova. Her research focuses on precision approaches to monitor and improve the health, behaviour, and welfare of farm animals, with particular emphasis on pigs. She develops and applies sensor-based and non-invasive measurement systems for on-farm and slaughterhouse welfare assessment, investigating the effects of housing and management on animal well-being and production sustainability. Prof. [Last Name] has coordinated and contributed to national and European projects, including LOWEMEAT, GenTORE, and SusCatt, and actively participates in training veterinarians, farmers, and livestock technicians. She is the author of over 120 peer-reviewed publications and serves as a Section Editor for the Italian Journal of Animal Science and as a reviewer for leading international journals in animal science and welfare.