Pig Insights
Using artificial intelligence to unlock the full value of pig health data and support smarter decisions across the Scottish pig sector.
Project at a glance
- Led by: Scottish Pigs
- Partners: SRUC, Quality Meat Scotland, Food Standards Scotland, United Pig Cooperative and ScotEID
- Funded by: the Scottish Government’s Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF)
- Duration: six months, completed April 2026
The challenge
Large quantities of pig health and welfare data are collected routinely, but they are often fragmented, complex and under-used. Much of it sits in PDF reports. As a result, early warning signs of disease and emerging health risks can easily be missed.
What the project did
ViewQVRs: a new digital platform
At the heart of Pig Insights is ViewQVRs, a new platform that turns Quarterly Veterinary Reports (QVRs) from static compliance documents into live, interactive intelligence. For the first time, farmers, vets and industry organisations can see, benchmark and track pig health and welfare data at farm and national level.
Responsible use of AI
The project used artificial intelligence, in particular Large Language Models (LLMs), to summarise and interpret both structured data and vets’ free-text notes. All the AI tools were run locally, not through third-party providers, so sensitive farm data stayed secure and under industry control.
Joining up the data
The system brings together on-farm veterinary assessments and abattoir carcase inspection results. That opens the door to earlier detection of disease trends, and a better understanding of how health issues on farm show up at the abattoir. A proof of concept also showed how meat inspection feedback, required under Food Chain Information regulations, could be returned to producers more effectively.
“Pig Insights has shown what’s possible when the industry works together to make better use of the data we already collect. For too long, valuable veterinary and inspection information has been buried away in PDF reports. This project demonstrates how modern analytics and AI can turn that information into practical intelligence that directly supports farmers, vets and disease control programmes.”
Andy McGowan, Scottish Pigs
“This project demonstrates that AI can be used responsibly in agriculture to support, rather than replace, expert judgement. By combining robust statistical methods with carefully governed language models, we’ve shown how complex veterinary data can be turned into clear insights without compromising accuracy, transparency or data security.”
Sandy Carmichael, who led the AI work for SRUC
Why it matters
- For farmers and vets: clear, comparable health information instead of reports filed away and forgotten
- For disease control: a single evidence base for national initiatives such as PRRS Control & Elimination Scotland, supporting more targeted, data-led decisions
- For other livestock sectors: a model for AI-enabled disease surveillance that could be scaled up, positioning Scotland as a leader in agricultural data innovation and resilient food systems
The project was delivered within a short timeframe, but it has laid strong technical foundations and a clear roadmap for wider rollout.
Pig Insights was funded by the Scottish Government’s Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF).