Results of the CoreOrganic-Workshop on animal based parameters in Trenthorst, Germany (04.02.08-08.02.2008)

Summary

It was the aim of this meeting to train the assessors of several CoreOrganic-Partners (i.e. Austria, Germany, Denmark and Norway) with regard to the methods which are going to be applied in the course of the project on-farm assessments. Training involved animal-based parameters, a resource checklist and a management questionnaire.
After a theoretical and practical introduction, inter-observer reliability (IOR) of the main animal-based parameters was tested. This included gait scoring/lameness, body condition, cleanliness and integument alterations. The scoring systems for gait scoring, cleanliness and integument alterations had been adapted from the WelfareQuality® protocol; body condition was scored according to Metzner et al. (1993).
Subjective scoring systems which are used in many epidemiological studies have the advantage that they do not require any equipment but - due to the subjectivity of the assessment - it is necessary to achieve acceptable inter-observer reliability (IOR) before and after the study to ensure valid data.