Objectives of the department animal nutrition and animal health

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Animal Health

In organic livestock production, the increased minimum requirements for husbandry conditions offer various advantages. However, they are not sufficient to ensure low disease rates in farm animals. Rather, there are increased requirements for animal health management.

In this field, concepts are being developed on how to identify and implement effective and cost-efficient  strategies in the respective context.

Animal Nutrition

Prioritizing the use of on-farm feed and limiting the purchase of feed involves the risk of an unbalanced supply of nutrients to livestock.

The aim of the research is to increase efficiencyin the use of on-farm and purchased feed, to reduce feeding-related health risks, to increase the quality of animal products and to reduce environmental pollution.

Research animal health

  • Impact matrix analysis and cost-benefit calculations to improve management practices regarding health status in organic dairy farming(www.impro-dairy.eu)

  • Measuring methods for the detection of metabolic disorders in dairy farming

  • Comparison of homeopathic and chemotherapeutic treatment strategies using the example of mastitis

  • Development of mathematical models for the analysis of interactions between relevant factors of farm management

  • Development of a concept for farm-specific evaluation of animal welfare performance in dairy farming (joint project: Tier-Wirt)

  • Prerequisites and obstacles of a target-oriented knowledge transfer

Research animal nutrition

  • Development of concepts to increase nutrient efficiency at the farm level.

  • Method development on the information resulting from the analysis of nutrient fractions in the feces of cattle and pigs.

  • Use of roughage in sow management and year-round free-range management of fattening pigs

  • Feed value of leaf masses of alfalfa and various clover species for monogastric animals

  • Value added potential of native protein carriers in organic monogastric feeding (joint project: potential analysis)

  • Evaluation of the quality of beef by image analysis and possibilities to influence it by feeding.

Under the framework of organic agriculture (EEC-Regulation No. 2092/91), the disciplines of animal nutrition and animal health are of special importance. According to the principles of organic agriculture and the overall objective to strive for a nearly complete nutrient cycle within a farm system, organic livestock production is land based. The EU Regulation clearly restricts the availability of fertilizer and bought-in feedstuffs of conventional origin going along with various implications.

Limitations in the availability of specific nutrients require to optimise the efficiency in the use of nutrients within the farm system. A major part of the nutrients that cycle within the farm system originates from home-grown and bought-in feedstuffs and is directed through the stomach of the farm animals. Hence, efficiency in the use of nutrients is highly influenced by the formulation of the diets. Furthermore, diet formulation is closely related to the level of animal health and welfare of farm animals and to the degree of environmentally friendly production of the whole production process.

To generate a high level of product and process quality (animal health and welfare, environmentally friendly production etc.) is one of the main objectives of organic livestock production. It corresponds with the demands of consumers who purchase organic products and are willing to pay premium prices. It is generally assumed, that efforts to strive for a high level of product and process qualities within organic livestock production are time consuming and lead to higher production costs compared to conventional production. In order to cover the higher production costs, and to justify premium prices and the confidence of the consumers in organic products, a premium line which ensures a high level of product and process quality is a conditiosine qua none in organic livestock production.

The following topics are currently under investigation:

  • Effects of unbalanced feeding rations on parameters of the immune response in dairy cows
  • Effects of the feed structure on the chewing activity of cattle
  • Effects of different feeding regimes on the quality of manure from dairy cows in relation to the availability of nutrients for microbial and plant growth
  • Evaluation of animal health status of pigs in organic farms in Germany
  • Implementation of animal health plans in organic sow herds
  • Feed intake of roughage by fattening pigs in free range systems
  • Effect of feeding strategies to improve eating quality of pork in organic pig production