Scottish Pigs Ltd, in collaboration with leading agricultural and veterinary partners, has announced the launch of Pig Insights, a pioneering innovation pig health project, driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
Funded by the Scotish Government Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF), the six-month project aims to revolutionise disease surveillance and herd health management across Scotland’s commercial pig sector.
Pig Insights will pilot an automated syndromic surveillance system that integrates structured and unstructured data, including Quarterly Veterinary Reports (QVRs), abattoir health monitoring reports and farm performance metrics into a unified intelligence platform. Cutting-edge AI tools, such as large language models (LLMs), will then be applied to trawl through masses of raw data to spot anomalies and detect disease symptoms earlier and so create timely and practical insights for farmers and their veterinarians.
The project will be delivered between October 2025 and March 2026, with results that it is hoped will benefit all commercial pig farms in Scotland. Outputs will be shared through established farmer-led PRRS Strategy Groups and other industry networks, as well is through individual vets working directly with their farm clients. The project’s legacy will be a scalable model for AI-powered surveillance, with potential applications across other livestock sectors and countries.
“This project should be a game-changer for pig health in Scotland,” said Andy McGowan, Director of Scottish Pigs. “By unlocking more insights for vets and farmers from the health and production data that is already collected, we’re creating a smarter, more responsive industry.”
By improving herd health, the project aims to support lower production costs, reduced carbon emissions and greater resilience against disease threats such as African Swine Fever.
Scottish Pigs Ltd, a cooperative formed in 2025 to develop the commercial pig industry in Scotland, will lead the project with delivery partners including SRUC, Quality Meat Scotland, Food Standards Scotland, United Pig Cooperative and ScotEID.
Key contributors such as Dr Maria Costa & Dr Sandy Carmichael (SRUC), Dr David Strachan (Scottish Pigs) and Allan Ward (QMS) wil bring deep expertise in veterinary science, data integration and industry engagement.