Comparison of animal welfare on conventional and organic dairy farms

Summary

Introduction:
During the last years, concern has increased concerning animal welfare at the farm level. The Associations of Organic Agriculture have elaborated minimum requirements regarding animal welfare. The aim of the study was to compare the welfare status on conventional and organic dairy farms.
Conclusions:
Concerning sample used (straw based loose housing systems), organic farms on average showed a better welfare status than conventional farms. This has also been demonstrated in other studies (for a review see Hörning, 1998). Mean points achieved in single criteria show deficiencies and therefore potential for improvements. The respective scoring systems seem to be suitable for an on-farm assessment of housing conditions and thus to de-monstrate the preconditions for animal welfare as an indirect measure. A more direct assessment of welfare should include more animal health parameters like injuries or diseases.