https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:5002 Technologies for automatic assessment of pig welfare using animal-based indicators in the slaughterhouse: a review Ramon-Perez, Angela Angela Ramon-Perez 0000-0002-0170-8321 Camerlink, Irene Irene Camerlink 0000-0002-3427-2210 van Staaveren, Nienke Nienke van Staaveren Maschat, Kristina Kristina Maschat 0000-0002-8295-9180 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna van Langeveld, Kenny Kenny van Langeveld 0009-0002-8068-4934 Banhazi, Thomas Thomas Banhazi 0000-0002-1733-6120 Fels, Michaela Michaela Fels Jachens, Maite Maite Jachens 0009-0005-5760-4168 Maselyne, Jarissa Jarissa Maselyne 0000-0003-2109-3253 Forkman, Björn Björn Forkman Llonch, Pol Pol Llonch 0000-0001-5958-861X Elsevier journal article open access eng Most meat-producing species end their life at the slaughterhouse. Here, animals are gathered from diverse farms, allowing for extensive data collection, including on welfare status. Assessing animal welfare requires reliable indicators, particularly those that are animal-based. Automated welfare evaluation offers a continuous, objective, and consistent approach for monitoring large numbers of animals, eliminating human bias and fatigue associated with high-speed production lines, and decreasing farm visits. This review aims to identify animal-based welfare indicators for pigs that can be automatically measured at slaughterhouses and to examine commercially available Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies used at the slaughterhouse, including prototypes and on-farm technologies that can be adapted and applied to slaughterhouses. A three-step methodology is used: first a systematic literature search, followed by a comprehensible commercial search, and finally an expert consultation survey to confirm that all technologies were identified. A total of 16 technologies for slaughterhouse applications and 71 technologies for on-farm use were identified. Among the on-farm technologies, 52 were deemed feasible for slaughterhouse implementation, while 19 were considered unsuitable due to mismatches with slaughterhouse purposes, such as feeding behaviour or heat detection. The results also highlight the need to address automated welfare assessment during the transport phase to ensure thorough understanding and continuous monitoring of animal welfare across the entire production chain. While automated systems for monitoring pig welfare show significant potential, challenges in practical implementation and widespread adoption remain, requiring collaboration between researchers, industry stakeholders, and technology developers to fully realise their potential. Pig Production Abattoir Welfare Assessment PLF Technologies Sensors Artifical Intelligence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:5002/download 10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2025.104286 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf Biosystems Engineering issn:1537-5110 VoR Biosystems Engineering 259 1.22 MB 2025