Against the backdrop of a shortage of agricultural operators, Marubeni Corporation is considering AI-based technology to measure beef cattle weight. It has indicated that the time required for weight measurement, previously around 10 minutes, could potentially be reduced to several seconds.
The livestock and dairy farming industries face difficult conditions in a declining-population society, and labor shortages are becoming more severe as the workload and long hours discourage people from entering the sector. Against this backdrop, a Marubeni representative indicated that introducing AI-based weight measurement could help address challenges at production sites.
Technology to significantly reduce the time required to measure beef cattle weight is being considered, and improvements in operational efficiency are expected at production sites. If automated AI-based measurement becomes widespread, it could reduce the burden of weight and livestock management.
The number of beef cattle farms is expected to fall to 34,000 in 2025, approximately one-fifth of the 1995 level. A shortage of workers associated with population decline is cited as one factor, and securing personnel for livestock production sites has been identified as a challenge.
At livestock production sites, soaring feed prices and stagnant beef consumption are also contributing factors, raising concerns that the shortage of agricultural operators will persist over the long term. Under these circumstances, introducing AI-based weight measurement could help reduce workloads and improve management efficiency.