Organic farming animal health

Most organic poultry production is currently based on the same breeding stock as conventional farming and the principal problems (see above) are the same. The discussion group at the fourth NAHWOA Workshop (Network for Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture) identified the following main problems (Hirt et al 2001) ... 

Proceedings from the S AFO Workshops (Sustaining Animal Health and Food Safety in Organic Farming) http //www.safonetwork.org/ (7.21.2005) http //orgprints.org/view/subjects/9poultry.html (8.31.2005)... 

Zollitsch W. (2003). Working group report Poultry production constraints and recommendations for enhancing health, welfare and food safety , in Hovi M., Martini A. and Padel S., Socio-Economic Aspects of Animal Health andFood Safety in Organic Farming System, Proceeding of the 1st SAFO Workshop 5-7 September 2003, Florence, Italy. University of Reading. 

Vaarst, M., Padel, S., Hovi, M., Younie, D. and Sundrum, A. (2005), Sustaining animal health and food safety in European organic livestock farming . Livestock Production Science, 94, 61-69. 

Fig. 12.1 Approach to secure animal health on organic farms.

Paulsen H M and Weissmann F (2002), Relevance of mycotoxins to product quality and animal health in organic farming , in Redesigning Food Systems, Proceedings of the 14th IFOAM Organic World Congress, Victoria, Canada, 212. 

A conclusive assessment on the effects of organic farming on animal welfare and health indicators is given in the following scheme (Table 4-23). 

Things are a bit different as far as those indicators are concerned which show an equal influence on environmental issues. Little information about the impacts of organic farming on climate and air, animal welfare and health and food quality is available. The reasons for this might be that ... 

Although the experts assessments vary enormously by country, the mean values show that the most important subjects with respect to the environmental impacts of organic farming are landscape, soil, ground and surface water and biodiversity. Climate as well as air and energy uses are, however, assessed to be of only minor importance. Only two experts identified animal health and welfare to be of special importance for organic farming in this context. 

Short, N., Roderick, S. and M. Hovi (1997). Animal health and welfare on organic farms. Elm Earm Research Bulletin 27 4-6. 

Table 4-23 Assessment of organic farming s Impact on the Indicator subcategory "Animal welfare and health " compared with conventional farming 80...

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