# Assessment of Production Technologies on Dairy Farms in Terms of Animal Welfare
## 7 Housing Systems and Other Technological Aspects
When assessing this type of technology, questions are asked, including questions about threats to animal welfare [103]. Issues of limitations and pitfalls in the development and application of PLF are raised, for example, in the field of precise animal feeding techniques [104]. Another line of consideration when assessing precision livestock farming is whether PLF can be treated as a compromise for sustainable production in environmental, economic and social terms [105]. An important opportunity opens up the integration of technology with systems for precision animal agriculture, including dairy farming [106]. This particularly applies to dairy farms with larger herds of dairy cows [107]. When it comes to the size of production on a dairy farm, it is important to link this feature (farm size) with animal welfare [108]. Another feature associated with the size of the farm, i.e., the intensity of the animal production system, is a factor related to welfare management in the assessment of PLF technology [109]. Classic dairy production technologies combined with the welfare of dairy cattle are an excellent area for using the potential of intelligent technologies [110]. Intelligent technologies are an important tool in creating a bridge between production technologies in dairy farms and animal welfare [111]. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, as well as real-time monitoring allow for the identification of animal health threats, symptoms of stress, and nutritional deficiencies, which translates into a more accurate assessment of the welfare of dairy cattle and reduces the risk of its degradation [112]. Artificial intelligence tools are incorporated into the operation of technical devices (feeding robots, milking robots) that are an integral part of dairy production technology, which allows for more accurate handling of cows and is important from the point of view of their welfare. Selected artificial intelligence tools are used to monitor environmental conditions (temperature, humidity and air quality) [113], which are not without impact on the welfare of animals. The welfare of dairy cattle can be a factor in integrating production technologies in dairy farms with intelligent technologies. The two categories of technologies can complement each other and help animals achieve well-being, taking into account, of course, the participation of farmers who decide on the selection of appropriate technologies [114] and the dissemination/adoption of modern technologies on dairy farms [115]. A practical application of information technology in dairy cattle production is equipping animals with devices that monitor their behavior. Installing pedometers on cows allows for the automatic measurement of lying behavior, and as a result, monitoring of the comfort and welfare of animals [116]. The valuable role of the pedometer was also confirmed in studies of cows on pasture. Equipping cows with pedometers revealed that they walked further in the pasture, which potentially had a positive effect on their physical health and psychological well-being [117]. Information technologies using sensors are also an important link in the electronic detection of health problems in dairy cattle, including lameness [118], which can be considered in terms of welfare. If dairy production technologies are improved on the farm, what is the motivating factor for this improvement? Is it a reduction in human workload and investment costs, an increase in the technical efficiency of intensive technologies [119] or perhaps animal welfare? Answers to these issues can be found in specific examples of solutions implemented in barns. One of them is a rotating brush, which fulfills important tasks related to increasing the comfort of cows in the livestock building [120]. Brush use can be considered as an indicator of cow health or welfare [121]. The comfort achieved in the barn also extends to the comfort outside the barn, resulting from the cows' access to pasture [117].