Using imagery and computer vision as remote monitoring methods for early detection of respiratory disease in pigs

•Imagery and computer algorithms can assist animal monitoring in commercial piggeries.•Computer vision techniques can assist in the early detection of ill pigs.•Physiological changes can be detected in ill pigs, before clinical signs are detected.•Computer vision techniques can identify changes in eye-temperature, heart rate, and respiration rates in pigs. Respiratory diseases in pigs impact the wellbeing of animals and increase the cost of production. One of the most appropriate approaches to minimizing these negative effects is the early detection of ill animals. The use of cameras coupled with computer-based techniques could assist the early detection of physiological changes in pigs when they are beginning to become ill and prior to exhibiting clinical signs. This study consisted of two experiments that aimed to (a) evaluate the use of computer-based techniques over RGB (red, green, and blue) and thermal infrared imagery to measure heart rate and respiration rate of pigs, and (b) to investigate whether eye-temperature, heart rate and respiration rate assessed remotely could be used to identify early signs of respiratory diseases in free-moving, and group-housed growing pigs in a commercial piggery. In the first experiment, the remotely-obtained heart rate and respiration rate were compared with the measures obtained with standard methods, showing positive correlations (r = 0.61 – 0.66; p