Innovation and optimization of production processes are part of the axes in which the AIRA agro-livestock cooperative moves. For this reason, two years ago it launched the Trac Plus project, financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, within the Red.es call. To carry it out, an investment of 391,895 euros was made and public aid of 156,758 euros was provided.
Through this initiative, the aim was to develop specific digital solutions, through artificial intelligence technology and achieve the digitization of the agents involved in the value chain of the dairy sector, guarantee food safety and complete traceability from the land to the products leaving the Melide plant.
This project was developed through six working groups: plant production, animal feed, clinical, milk quality, reproduction and counseling, the latter being the basis for all the others. In the first phase, all the information behind a dairy product was gathered, from the animal feed until the consumer consumes the product. That is, all the information obtained from various sources (OVGAN, Ligal, CEGACOL, Delagros, ODOO, Mouriscade Laboratory, Rock River, ASM Dairy, Kmilk, Gando and information from the ADS) was digitized and gathered in a system in which each value can be seen in a simple way.
In order to carry out the research, we had the collaboration of 10 cattle farms, which use various services (feeding, clinic, carts or ADS, among others) and deliver milk to the Cooperative, so that the information could be integrated into the processed products.
With all the information systems and with the collaboration of the livestock farms, we now have tools that were tested in a controlled context, with the participating farms and some batches of products that were manufactured at the Melide plant. Thus, it was also possible to obtain traceability within the Melide plant of those batches that served as a pilot for the project. The next objective is to automate all the data entry processes.
Once the execution period is over and the objectives of the project have been met, AIRA indicates that this work will continue to be developed, within the lines of digitalization of the cooperative and will continue to deepen so that it can be a reality for all members and that the tools developed can be integrated into the daily routine of the cooperative.
