Nutzen und Kosten tiergerechter Milchviehhaltung – Versuch einer Bewertung verschiedener Laufstallsysteme anhand des Tierverhaltens und der Jahreskosten

Summary

Animal welfare versus costs? – Assessment of dairy housing systems
Animal welfare plays an important role in organic agriculture. The EEC-regulations lead to high standards: e.g. loose housing, outside yards and pasture for cattle. Loose housing systems for dairy cows mainly differ in the design of the lying area (cubicles, bedded-sloped floor, deep litter/straw yard). In this paper, animal welfare and economic aspects of these systems are confronted. Results from own behavioural observations on 40 farms and calculations of profitability are presented. With regard to most behaviour variables obser-ved, straw yards and sloped floors proved most adequate, followed by comfortable cubic-les. Traditional cubicle houses had the most adverse effects on behaviour. The same order was found for lesions. However, the economic calculations showed, that the straw yard system led to the highest costs, followed by the cubicle house with slatted floors, the sloped floor and cubicle houses with concrete passageways. Therefore, a higher welfare level will lead to higher costs, at least partially.