EU-FarmBook transfers digital innovations to livestock farms
Rennes, France, 6 July 2026
The EU-FarmBook project took centre stage at a panel event held on 6 July at Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, bringing together experts from research, advisory services, innovation support and agricultural journalism. As part of a three-day press tour in Brittany, participants explored how digital innovations can be transferred more effectively into livestock farming practice.
Organised by EU-FarmBook, the European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ) and the French Livestock Institute (IDELE), the international press tour brought together around 30 representatives from the scientific and media communities. Participants were welcomed by Patrick Sarzeaud, Senior Innovation Manager at IDELE; Dr Inge De Bo, Scientific Coordinator of EU-FarmBook and researcher in Biosystems Control and Gaseous Emissions in Livestock at Ghent University; and Yanne Boloh, Chairwoman of ENAJ, journalist and Director of the press agency Philéas Info.
From left to right: Patrick Sarzeaud, Katharina Seuser, Klaus Knippertz, Bérenger Morel, Inge De Bo, Peter Rakers
Sarzeaud noted that IDELE had already participated in 40 European projects. “We are particularly proud that, as France’s EU-FarmBook ambassador, we contributed more than 2,000 files to the platform last year. And, of course, we intend to continue this commitment,” he said. The seminar provided an opportunity to showcase innovations in the French livestock sector to European agricultural journalists and other guests of IDELE.
Patrick Sarzeaud, IDELE senior innovation manager, welcomes the guests.
De Bo highlighted the open access to EU-FarmBook in 24 EU languages. “You can ask the AI-based chatbot – the “farm assistant” – in your own language and then you have the translations,” she explained. De Bo was convinced that this would be a very important function for practitioners. “Right now, the platform is still under development,” she said. “Every day, there will be more content uploads and improvements.”
Inge De Bo, Scientific Coordinator of EU-FarmBook and researcher in Biosystems Control and Gaseous Emissions in Livestock at Ghent University; highlighted the open access to EU-FarmBook in 24 EU languages.
Boloh pointed out that the EU-FarmBook could provide a lot of good stories for journalism. “ENAJ and IDELE are pursuing the same goal: to encourage farmers to adopt these innovations on their farms,” she said. The strength of European agriculture depended on collaboration between farmers and researchers, between innovators and practitioners.
Yanne Boloh, Director of the press agency Philéas Info, journalist and Chairwoman of ENAJ, underlined the importance of innovation transfer for farmers.
An “Innovation Marketplace” gave participants the opportunity to explore a range of cutting-edge research projects and innovative solutions shaping the future of livestock farming. EU-FarmBook-“Ambassador” Bérenger Morel from IDELE highlighted news from the platform. He stressed the importance of accessible, practice-oriented knowledge resources and collaboration between different stakeholders in supporting the uptake of innovative approaches that contribute to the sustainability, resilience and competitiveness of European agriculture.
The central topic explored by five panelists under moderation of Peter Rakers, strategic coordinator of EU-FarmBook, was digital innovation and data technology for livestock farms.
Prof. Yannick Le Cozler from Institut Agro Rennes-Angers presented image-based technologies for dairy herd management. Adrien Lebreton, a livestock farming expert at IDELE, addressed the “hype” of digital innovation in the sector. He emphasised that journalists reporting on agricultural innovations should take the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) into account, as it provided an important indication of how advanced and market-ready a particular innovation is. Claudie Guyomarch, director of the pig research farm CRÉCOM of the Chamber of Agriculture of Brittany, highlighted projects of temporary farrowing crates for sows, tail biting trials and experiments with light intensity in the post weaning phase of piglets. Pauline Créach from the French technical institute for applied research in poultry, rabbit and fish (ITAVI), showed examples of robots in poultry production Asked for the farmers’ acceptance of innovations, she pointed out that the return on investment had top priority.
Later in the press tour, field visits provided journalists with first-hand insights into how digital technologies, precision tools and robotics are transforming livestock farming in practice. At IDELE’s CIRBEEF and CIRVEAU experimental farms in Mauron, participants explored innovations such as the MorphoR3D platform for 3D-based cattle phenotyping, the use of drones for herd monitoring and research into animal welfare and sustainable veal production. At the Pig and Pork Institute (IFIP) in Romillé, researchers showcased precision-feeding systems, advanced ventilation, digital monitoring tools and AI-based solutions to improve efficiency and animal welfare in pig production.
A visit to a poultry farm in Iffendic highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence for flock management through sound and video analysis, while discussions addressed wider challenges such as labour availability and climate change. The tour concluded at the dairy farm Des Trois Villages in Carentoir, where a farmer demonstrated how robotics, including automated feeding and milking systems, can reduce labour requirements, increase efficiency and support future farm management decisions.
