AI in the yards: why smarter livestock counting matters for regional business
Artificial intelligence is starting to show its value in practical, everyday parts of regional business.
One example comes from Western Australia, where meat processor V&V Walsh has adopted AI technology to count sheep, lambs and cattle at its Bunbury facility. The company processes more than one million head of livestock each year, so even small improvements in counting accuracy can have a big impact.
At first glance, livestock counting might sound like a simple operational task. In reality, it affects payments, records, confidence and efficiency across the supply chain.
According to the report, the system allows the processor to cross-check AI camera counts against manual counts and scale data. That gives the business multiple data points to verify what has actually been delivered.
That matters because livestock is valuable. Where producers are being paid per head, accurate counts are critical. A discrepancy on paper is not a minor issue when sheep and cattle represent real money and real livelihoods.
What stands out here is that the benefit is not just speed. The stronger advantage appears to be accuracy, traceability and confidence.
The processor has said the technology also helps reduce pressure on staff. Counting large volumes of animals manually can be difficult, repetitive work. A system that can be reviewed later through footage also gives businesses a clearer way to resolve disputes or answer questions.
Importantly, the company says the adoption of AI has not led to redundancies. Instead, it sees technology as part of improving operations and supporting future growth.
For regional industries, this is the kind of AI story worth paying attention to. It is not flashy for the sake of it. It is targeted, practical and tied to a real commercial problem.
That is often where innovation has the greatest value: not in replacing people, but in helping businesses make better decisions, reduce errors and build trust with customers and suppliers.
As tools like this become more common across agriculture and processing, regional businesses should also think about the IP side of innovation — including software, systems, branding, data-driven processes and commercial know-how.
At Regional IP, we work with regional businesses building practical innovations that solve real problems. Whether the value lies in the technology itself, the business system around it, or the brand that takes it to market, it is worth understanding what can be protected early.