At EuroTier, livestock technology must prove its decision value for the meat chain

EuroTier is taking place in Hanover from 10 to 13 November under the theme “Intelligence in Animal Farming.” According to the DLG, more than 2,100 exhibitors from 55 countries are represented across 13 halls. For the meat sector, the value of the event is not in treating every innovation as a finished solution, but in examining which technologies can link livestock production, health, welfare, biosecurity and profitability in a coherent process.

The technical programme covers cattle, pigs, poultry, direct farm sales, biosecurity and feed safety. Sensors, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence are among the cross-cutting topics, alongside housing systems, feeding, emission reduction and animal health. The new DLG-VetCon, scheduled for 12 and 13 November, further strengthens the connection between veterinary medicine, herd management and operational decisions.

For the meat chain, the decisive question is not whether a system generates data, but which decision becomes better because of it. A signal on water intake, climate, activity or feeding creates value only when it enables an early deviation to be identified, an action to be assigned and its effect to be verified. Otherwise, digitalisation adds interfaces and costs without demonstrably improving quality, welfare or productivity.

The trade fair therefore offers a practical investment test: users should ask about operating conditions, data quality, interoperability, maintenance, responsibilities and a clear route from signal to action. Technology gains relevance when it makes an everyday decision on farm and further along the chain safer, more traceable and more repeatable.