The International Meat Automation Congress (iMAC) was held in Torremolinos, Spain, on October 2–3. The congress brings together researchers, technology providers, and representatives from the meat industry to discuss new solutions in automation, digital transformation, and robotics.
This year’s congress was organized by Animalia, Nortura, FACCSA-Prolongo and BMC, and welcomed participants from around the world.
Ole Alvseike, Director of Food Safety and R&D at Animalia, chairs iMAC and was responsible for organizing this year’s event.
“It’s exciting to see how AI, sensor technology, and automation are now developing new methods. Cameras and sensors are being combined with powerful computing to create ‘intelligent solutions’ that can ‘see’ and handle biological variation — meat is an especially challenging material to automate,” says Alvseike.
Automation and Objective Control Systems
Two main themes emerged among this year’s presentations. One was the automation of cutting operations using more sensors, AI, and robotics. The other focused on objective and automated technologies to assist meat inspection and document animal health and welfare.
“A clear global message is that recruiting people for physically demanding tasks is becoming increasingly difficult.”
Data-Driven Solutions
Automation and data-driven assessment systems were central topics at the congress. From Animalia’s R&D and innovation department, data engineers Ian Esper and Theodor Enok Bakken Skramstad contributed as speakers.
Skramstad presented “Data Science for Carcass Grading”, based on the FFL/JA-funded IPN project SAUTO. He demonstrated how machine learning can provide more objective and precise classification of carcasses and hygiene categories.
“It was inspiring to meet so many skilled people and build networks across industry and academia. You clearly see that computer vision and deep learning have become a ‘sensor’ in their own right for robotics,” says Theodor Enok Bakken Skramstad.
Esper gave the presentation “AI-Driven Hide Hygiene Assessment: From Prototype to Cloud Service”, showcasing how image analysis and cloud solutions can be used for real-time assessment of hide hygiene in slaughterhouses. His talk covered the development from research prototype to a nearly production-ready service, based on the IPN project EyeAM, funded by FFL/JA.
“In my presentation, I explored how computer vision, artificial intelligence, and cloud solutions can be combined to develop a scalable real-time system for assessing hide hygiene,” says Ian Esper.
Positive Feedback from Participants
The concept has found its form, and with FACCSA Prolongo as local host and sponsor, all practical matters were well handled. Participants expressed interest in returning in 2027.
“Based on the feedback, the congress was a great success,” says Alvseike. “We succeeded in fostering networking and meaningful discussions. There was a good mix of experienced professionals and young talents, with backgrounds in meat science, engineering, business, and veterinary medicine. It’s also encouraging that participants could be inspired across work with different animal species.”
“There were participants from nearly every continent, representing both small and large meat companies and suppliers. The presentations received consistently high scores. Some focused on data science and software, while others showcased hardware solutions. Everyone managed to speak a language that was understandable to all.”