Mette Vaarst 1, Stig M. Thamsborg 2, Erik Steen Kristensen 2
1 Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele 2 Royal Vet. Agric. University, Grønnegårdvej 2, DK-1870 Frederiksberg
3 Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming (DARCOF), P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
A synthesis of knowledge project was carried out during the late summer 1998 to June 1999 with the objectives to describe the conversion to organic farming as experienced by people connected to the dairy herd (the farmers themselves, their veterinarians and agricultural advisors). Special focus was put on animal health and welfare and the use of medication. 15 qualitative semi-structured interviews and 3 group focus interviews were carried through during the autumn-winter 1998, and a panel of veterinary and agricultural scientist experts met three times during the winter spring 1998-99.
The organic calves are in focus as example of the discussion about understanding animal welfare in organic herds. The calves were mentioned as the most critical field in the organic herd. Disease problems, group housing, outdoor stay and cow-calf relations during the first 24 hours post partum are all areas which are mentioned in the legislation for organic farming. The idea of combining a ’natural life’ with ’a life under human care’ was discussed. It was suggested that animal welfare may contain some special characteristics in organic production. One of these could be an effort to let them live a ‘natural life’ as far as possible. This may have some practical consequences for how animals are kept. The basic responsibility for the animals in organic husbandry is discussed as a key area for animal welfare, with calves as a prominent example.
Introduction
Organic dairy production has increased dramatically in Denmark during the past few years. In some regions the number of organic herds is growing rapidly, and the farmers’ sparring partners (i.e. the advisory service and veterinarians) are being increasingly confronted with the organic production systems. Consequently, veterinarians have paid increasing interest in the organic production method. They have generally raised critical questions to the daily practice and effort to live up to the basic idea about good animal welfare in organic herds.
Good animal welfare conditions are generally mentioned as a major goal in organic farming. An increasing number of reports on animal welfare problems in organic farming systems and in connection to conversion to organic farming must consequently cause major concern. It is relevant to
discuss whether animal welfare problems are connected to goals or legislation rules in organic farming, or rather to management routines and the farmer’s ability to take care of his animals under organic production conditions.
In order to direct this discussion into a number of relevant perspectives, a project was carried out under the management of the Research Centre for Organic Farming in Denmark. This project was called ’Synthesis of knowledge on animal health, welfare and use of medication during conversion to organic farming’. The goals were to describe and identify areas of specific interest for the discussion about animal welfare in organic farming with regard to animal health, welfare and use of medication during the conversion period.
In the following, organic calves will be taken as example of a critical field of organic farming systems. The organic calf herd has been an area of major concern in the organic herd and has even been mentioned as ’the group of losers’. The basic organic goal of letting animals live a ’natural life’ as far as possible will be discussed as the idea of combining a ’natural life’ with ’a life under human care’ with special focus on the outdoor stay. Communication between the farmer and the farm advisors (especially the veterinarian and the agricultural advisor) is one very relevant area of future development in order to solve some of these problems.
Material and methods
This project is based partly on qualitative interviews and partly on meetings between experts in different fields of organic husbandry and organic farming.
During late summer 1998, 15 individual qualitative semi-structured interviews of veterinarians and agricultural advisors were carried through. During the winter 1998-99, three group focus interviews of farmers were carried through (19 farmers representing 16 different farms). An expert group of veterinarians and agricultural scientists met three times during the winter spring 1998-99 in order to discuss the results of the interviews and to develop a theoretical basis for solving some of the animal welfare problems made visible through the interviews. Relevant themes were identified for future development in organic herds, and guidelines were given as practical advice, needs for future advisory service and research.
Results
In the following, a brief summary of the interviews and the results of the expert panel discussion about outdoor stay of calves will be given.
Health and disease as described in interviews with veterinarians and advisors
In general, no or few changes were described in health status connected to conversion. No systematic differences were described with regard to udder health, but many veterinarians, advisors as well as farmers had experienced a decline in clinical metabolic diseases. No dramatic or abrupt change in treatment pattern was actually experienced, but the interviewed veterinarians showed concern for a theoretical emerging ’non-treatment-policy’.
Conversion to organic farming has during the past 4-5 years often been connected with changes in housing system and in herd size (larger herd). Changes in health status if described were pointed out as
connected to ’structural and technical changes in the herd’ and not to the conversion to organic production itself.
The calves were described as a sincere problem area with special focus on group housing, need for suckling (causing suckling on group mates), and grazing at a young age. The problems were clearly and consistently described by a majority of both veterinarians, agricultural advisors and farmers.
The outdoor stay of the calf as a part of ’a natural life’
The intentions of the organic standards were identified as strongly related to ’a natural life’. The understanding of ‘natural’ is complex and involves several philosophical considerations. Very briefly, a natural life is connected to a number of positive as well as negative possible experiences (positive as e.g. the access to food and milk ad libitum, fresh air and social life; negative such as bad weather and climatic conditions and loss of mother). In a farming system, the positive parts of ‘nature’ should be implemented as a part of ‘the culture’, so to speak, and combined with human care and attention. The outdoor stay of the calf was particularly mentioned as a very critical part of the calves’ life, but also mentioned as something ‘worth working for’, since calves seem to enjoy it very much. Some explanations for unsuccessful grazing systems for young calves were identified through the interviews and the following discussions in the expert group:
- In a natural life, calves are grazing together with cows. All calves are more or less the same age and form a stable group (season calving). They have access to milk ad libitum until late weaning, and the flock has the possibility to move to other pastures when the available grass is decreasing. - This ‘natural life’ is far from the life on farms, where calves very often are grazing the same pasture
just outside the cow house (close to the farm in order to ensure the farmer’s attention). The flocks are dynamic, with a continuous flow of calves into and from the flock. During the first years when this early grazing was applied calves were more or less expected to live off the grass, which is completely wrong.
- Calves in conventional herds are normally not very time consuming. They are much more time consuming in a grazing system i.e. the time it takes to see them every day.
- Flexibility should be allowed, e.g. due to poor weather conditions during summer.