The L1–L5 Levels of Farm Autonomy
The levels of farm autonomy are a five-level scale for livestock farming, modelled on the self-driving levels that reshaped cars. L1–L2 is the automation you can already buy — timers, sensors, climate controllers. L3 is a system that reads the animals themselves and acts on what it sees. L4–L5 is the farm that runs, heals and improves itself. The framework was defined by DeepLoop for pig, broiler and layer production.
Every level answers one question: how much of the daily loop — watch, understand, decide, act, learn — runs without a person in it. The farmer sets the target (FCR on the pig finisher, livability in the broiler house, lay rate in the layer shed); each level up, the farm finds more of the way itself. The scale below is the full framework.
農場自主的五個分級
好似重塑咗汽車行業嘅自動駕駛分級咁——不過呢次係為咗欄舍。每一級都係向住同一個目標行：農戶定好目標——育肥豬嘅FCR、肉雞舍嘅成活率、蛋雞舍嘅產蛋率——農場自己搵路行落去。L1–2係而家喺邊度都買到嘅自動化——計時器、感應器、環控箱。L3就係DeepLoop嘅強項：一個可以睇懂啲動物本身嘅系統，早過人眼幾日發現——差唔多冇人做到呢一步。L4–5就係我哋要行落去嘅方向：一個自己運作、自己修復、自己變好嘅農場。
睇得到嘅欄舍
攝影機同感應器，一個數字超咗線就會響警。我哋接駁你而家用緊嘅品牌——所以你可以繼續用你信得過嘅硬件，我哋喺呢個基礎上再加建。
識反應嘅欄舍
自動化環境控制——通風、環控、飼餵、飲水與投藥。已普遍且廣泛部署；我們與成熟的環控與設備夥伴整合，而非重新造輪子。
識發現病嘢嘅欄舍
體重偏差、呼吸道囉音、跛行步態同行為應激，會早過人手巡查數日就浮現出嚟——咬尾爆發喺最開始被咬嘅尾巴出現嗰陣就揪到，啄羽喺蔓延成個蛋雞舍之前就截住，呼吸道爆發喺席捲成群肉雞之前就截住。每批可以降低死淘率，結算時屠檢廢棄都少啲——呢個就係好週期同壞週期嘅分別。呢一part係冇人搞得掂嘅。
識做粗重嘢嘅欄舍
日常嘅體力活——巡查、執死畜、清潔、消毒——唔使多請一雙手都搞得掂。搵到好嘅農場工人本身就好難；去到L4，你就唔使再同人爭人手。
自己運作嘅欄舍
欄舍自己不斷學習，喺動物同數字兩方面都越做越好。每一批都教到佢一啲嘢。農戶定好目標——FCR、每公斤成本、福利底線——農場自己搵出路。
Who defined the levels of farm autonomy?
DeepLoop defined this L1–L5 framework for livestock production, modelled on the SAE levels of driving automation, to give producers a common language for how autonomous a barn actually is.
What level are most farms today?
Most commercial pig and poultry farms operate at L1–L2: timers, sensors and climate controllers that hold setpoints but don't read the animals. L3 systems — which understand the animals themselves — are where DeepLoop operates.
What is needed to move from L2 to L3?
Cameras and software that read the animals — count, weight, behaviour, distribution — plus the loop that turns detections into records and adjustments. No proprietary hardware: standard cameras carry the whole sensing layer.
Is L5 realistic?
L5 — the farm that runs, heals and improves itself — is a direction, not a shipping product. Each level below it delivers value on its own; the point of the scale is knowing where you are and what the next step buys you.