Welfare assessment as part of welfare planning in organic calf production

Summary

Animalwelfare is regarded as a basic parameter in organic beef– and milk production. It is important to focus on good animal welfare at all levels, also including calves. Experiences from former projects show that calf welfare often represents a problem in organic and conventional farms, depending on the farmer’s priorities, attitudes and knowledge. A CORE Organic project “Minimizing medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning” (ANIPLAN) was initiated in 2008 and is a collaboration between seven European countries, including Norway. The aim of the Norwegian project group, lead by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, was to develop a calf welfare assessment system, suitable for welfare advising and planning in organic milk production farms. The system focuses on animal based parameters, management, individual clinical score, colostrum intake and feeding system.