On a farm in Northern Ireland, a smart camera watches cows every day. The camera uses artificial intelligence (AI), a computer program that can learn and spot patterns. It can notice when a cow is starting to get sick before a person sees any problem.
Farmer George McMaster and his son Jack care for 300 dairy cows. In the past, George used only his own eyes to find sick animals. Today, an AI camera watches the herd in the milking room. The system gives each cow an ID number and records a short video of the animal every day.
The computer checks each video for small changes in how the cows move. It can spot early signs of illness or lameness, which means a cow has pain and difficulty walking. Jack says the camera finds these problems much earlier than human eyes can. This helps the farmers give medicine or care before an animal gets worse.
Jack McMaster says healthier cows produce more milk and live better lives. For the farmers, the technology is a helpful tool that lets them act quickly to protect their herd.