Salmonella Infection Level in Danish Indoor and Outdoor Pig Production Systems measured by Antbodies in Meat Juice and Faecal Shedding on-farm and at Slaughter

The prevalence of Salmonella shedding was compared in 34 organic, conventional outdoor, and indoor pig herds. Individual faecal and meat juice samples from 30-50 pigs per herd were analysed for presence of Salmonella, and Salmonella antibodies, respectively. We found low levels of Salmonella shedding on farm and at slaughter in organic and conventional outdoor herds compared to indoor pigs. Overall 5,5 % of the pigs were seropositive. The serological test result was associated with Salmonella shedding at slaughter in pigs from conventional systems, but not in organic pigs. The duration of transport did not affect the risk of Salmonella shedding

Økologiske køer skal gøres endnu sundere gennem forbedret pasning og avl

Forskere fra syv europæiske lande – Danmark, Sverige, Tyskland, Schweiz, Østrig, Polen og Litauen - er gået sammen i forskningsprojektet ORGANICDAIRYHEALTH for at finde løsninger, som kan sikre dyrevelfærden i de økologiske malkekvægsbesætninger fremover

PROPIG

Farm specific strategies to reduce environmental impact by improving health, welfare and nutrition of organic pig

Øko-grise får mindre antibiotika

Danmarks JordbrugsForskning har i de sidste to år gennemført en større analyse af sundhedstilstanden hos økologiske og konventionelle slagtesvin, hvor vi bl.a. har inddraget besætningernes antibiotikaforbrug. Forbruget af antibiotika er interessant både i forhold til at vurdere sundheden hos svin, men også fordi et højt forbrug kan øge antallet af resistente bakterier, hvorved mulighederne for effektivt at behandle syge mennesker og dyr med antibiotika begrænses. Når vi diskuterer antibiotikaforbruget, er vores husdyr ofte i fokus. I Danmark bruger vi mere end dobbelt så meget antibiotika til husdyr som til mennesker. Mere end 80 pct. af antibiotikaforbruget til husdyr ordineres i svineproduktionen, og tallet er stigende

Ingen forskel på dødelighed mellem økologiske og konventionelle slagtesvinebesætninger, men de konventionelle havde et tre gange så stort medicinforbrug

Dødeligheden blandt slagtesvin i Danmark er mere end fordoblet de sidste 25 år. Samme tendens ses i forbruget af antibiotika til slagtesvin, hvor der inden for blot 2 år er sket en stigning på 19% (Jensen og Heuer, 2005). Disse tal er dog ikke opgjort særskilt for økologiske og konventionelle bedrifter, og da det økologiske regelsæt foreskriver, at grise, der behandles med antibiotika mere end én gang, ændrer status til konventionelle, kan man godt forestille sig, at fl ere økologiske grise blev afl ivet som alternativ til medicinering, og at dødeligheden derved blev højere i økologiske besætninger

Animal Welfare as One among Several Values to be Considered at Farm Level: The Idea of an Ethical Account for Livestock Farming

A proposal as to how to combine animal welfare with other goals using an ethical account for livestock farming is presented. The purpose of an ethical account is to report on the consequences of individual events and routine methods on the farm for all affected parties, and to ensure that the farmer is conscious of his ethical priorities. A procedure for an annual account is presented and the concepts involved in it are explained. Welfare assessment involves information from four sources: the system, the system’s application, animal behaviour and animal health. Welfare assessment is an aid for operational management as well as for strategic planning. This ethical account was developed in collaboration with twenty livestock farms over a period of three years. In the course of its evaluation farmers were interviewed by a social scientist who was not directly involved in the project. I was concluded from these interviews that the implementation of welfare assessment, in this way, in the ethical account was a success

Nye tal på svinesundhed

I 2004 har forskere fra Danmarks JordbrugsForskning besøgt 16 økologiske og 50 indendørs slagtesvinebesætninger for at vurdere grisenes sundhedstilstand. Vi fandt lige mange grise med sygdomsbemærkninger i de to systemer. 12,8 pct. af de økologiske grise og 14,4 pct. af de indendørs grise havde sygdomsbemærkninger. I begge systemer havde 3,6 pct. af grisene alvorlige sygdomsbemærkninger, som ofte vil være behandlingskrævende

Welfare and productivity of laying hens in commercial organic egg production systems in Denmark

Plumage condition, use of outdoor run, mortality and productivity were recorded in 18 Danish commercial organic egg-producing flocks consisting of 1200–5000 hens each. Between 7 and 38% of the hens in a flock used the outdoor run, with a mean of 18%. In most flocks the majority of the hens outside stayed close to the hen house, but some farmers succeeded in attracting the hens away from the house, which reduced the percentage of hens staying close to the house to 15%. At the age of 56 weeks, six flocks had little or no plumage damage, whereas four flocks showed severe feather pecking, but here feather pecking was already evident at an age of 28 weeks. Plumage condition was not significantly correlated with use of the outdoor run. The range in mortality rate amongst flocks was 9–62%, with an average of 22%. The high mortality was partly due to outbreaks of Pasteurella, mortality reaching over 50% in two of the four afflicted flocks. In some flocks also predatory attacks and piling (causing suffocation of the lowest birds) caused mortality. Average egg production was better than reported for Danish organic and free-range non-organic farms, but feed consumption and feed conversion rate were slightly higher. The results of this study do not provide a definite answer to the question whether or not hens should be kept outside

HelthyHens

This project focuses on the main challenges for organic laying hen farms regarding disease management, adverse animal welfare and negative impacts on the environment. Parasite infestation levels as well as prevalence of major health and welfare problems such as feather pecking, cannibalism, keel bone and foot lesions are affected by a combination of housing and management factors, e.g. with respect to feeding or hygiene, genotype or therapeutic treatments

Økologisk ægproduktion: Produktion, sundhed, ernæring og næringsstofhusholdning

Økologisk ægproduktion har bidt sig fast som en af Danmarks største økologiske fødevaresucceser målt som andel produceret og solgt økologisk. Økologisk ægproduktion er efter økologisk mælkeproduktion den vigtigste animalske økologiske produktion i Danmark. Det er imidlertid en produktionsform, der er følsom overfor kritik. I forbrugernes øjne er økologiske æg et alternativ til æg fra burægproduktion, som primært er kritiseret for manglende dyrevelfærd. Det er derfor vigtigt, at den økologiske ægproduktion kan dokumentere en tilfredsstillende dyrevelfærd. Dette aktualiseres af, at traditionel burægsproduktion er under udfasning i EU og at økologisk ægproduktion i fremtiden skal konkurrere mod nye alternative indhusningsformer med fokus på dyrevelfærd. I den økologiske bevægelse er der bekymring over den miljømæssige bæredygtighed i ensidig økologisk ægproduktion. Det er derfor vigtigt for de økologiske ægproducenter at kunne dokumentere et tilfredsstillende næringsstofregnskab