ANIPLAN – not just "any plan"

Summary

Livestock farming is an important part of organic farming systems, and it is an explicit goal of organic farming to ensure high levels of animal health and welfare (AHW) through proactive and appropriate management of breeding, feeding, housing and species specific husbandry. A goal in organic livestock farming is to minimise the use of veterinary medicines to improve food quality and protect the environment, and to do this by improving livestock living conditions rather than using alternative medical treatments. Key values influencing organic livestock production are naturalness, harmony at all levels of production, use and recirculation of local resources and adoption of the precautionary principle. The concepts of "positive health and welfare" are incorporated in EU Regulation 2092/91 on organic production. The farmer must ensure that farm animals can perform natural behaviours and live natural lives, but at the same time he/she must intervene when necessary and at first signs of disharmony in the herd.
Based on various project experiences and results and research questions from different European countries, a research project entitled ‘Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning’ was initiated in mid-2007 with the aim as indicated in the title. This paper introduces the project. The first project meeting and workshop was held in Hellevad in Denmark on the 9th-12th October 2007. A summary of the outputs from the workshop is provided here. The anticipated project activities are also outlined. The project will adopt the name ANIPLAN.