- Livestock farming is becoming increasingly industrialised and this results in significant challenges. If we are to continue with the development of an alternative to this type of production, it is essential that we strengthen the organic and systems-oriented approach to livestock production.

These are the words of senior scientist Mette Vaarst from the Department of Animal Science at Aarhus University. She will present and discuss a range of options for how robust organic livestock farms can meet future challenges in livestock production at the Annual Meeting for livestock research, EAAP 2014, to be held in Copenhagen from 25-29 August 2014.

- Organic livestock farming can contribute to the future sustainability of food production in a large number of areas. When I say sustainability, I mean it in the broadest sense – where the concept includes social, economic, environmental and governance aspects, says Mette Vaarst.

In her talk at the animal science congress, the senior scientist will be presenting several examples of how organic livestock farming can adapt to future demands.

- We can learn a lot by drawing on foreign experience, for example from the tropics where some places have very well-developed integrated systems. Of course we cannot directly copy their systems, just as they cannot copy our agricultural practices – but we can draw inspiration from it, says Mette Vaarst.

Some of the options available are the development and optimisation of free-range systems, for example by using semi-natural areas, by combining forestry with livestock grazing or by establishing holistic grazing systems. Another option is to merge several farms to create larger and more diverse farms where you can share machinery and other facilities and become less vulnerable..

- Complex and well-integrated systems should be supportive of the animals so they achieve a high health status. This will make the animals more robust and better able to cope with changes and their environmental influences. This will then lead to a lower consumption of medicine, says Mette Vaarst and continues:

- Development of highly integrated organic livestock farms and the use of agro-ecological farming methods require thought and planning in all aspects – both in terms of animal breeding, feeding and feed composition and in the farmer's ability to observe, evaluate and act.

EAAP 2014 - International Congress in livestock science

The 65th Annual Meeting on livestock research, EAAP 2014, attracts scientists, consultants and many others interested in the latest knowledge in the field of animal research from more than 40 countries. The main theme of the congress is ‘Quality in Animal Production’ and includes topics such as resource efficiency, sustainability, animal welfare, agroecology and product quality. The programme includes various disciplines on farm animals such as genetics, nutrition, management, health, welfare and physiology of cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, goats and fur animals.

For further information please contact: Senior scientist Mette Vaarst, Department of Animal Science, email: Mette.Vaarst@agrsci.dk, telephone: +45 8715 7924, mobile: +45 2290 1344