Existing methods for assessing the welfare of broiler chickens rely on human observation and subjective scoring. Yet, technologies that automatically collect quantitative data on commercial farms could help producers significantly improve animal welfare. Along with McDonald’s Corporation, the SMART Broiler Research Initiative develops Sensors, Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technologies (SMART) solutions that provide objective and comprehensive information about broiler welfare across the supply chain.
The Phase I winners were announced in spring 2019. Phase II funding is dependent on demonstrated progress in Phase I and is expected to be awarded in July 2021.
Learn more about our SMART Broiler Program