Evaluation criteria for including feed materials in Annex II C and dietary supplements in Annex II D of the EC-Regulation 2092/91

Organic livestock farming is intended to contribute to the equilibrium of agricultural production systems; establish and maintaining an interdependence between soils, plants and animals; is land-related ruling out landless productions, and should support the development of a sustainable agriculture. The criteria for the evaluation of non-organic and organic feed inputs should be consistent with these principles of organic livestock production. This report provides an overview of issues to be considered with regard to the inclusion of criteria for non-organic and external feed materials in the further development of the EC-Regulation 2092/91 on organic food. The various implications of a criteria based approach are discussed in relation to the main objectives and principles in organic production. A system approach is recommended to provide a tool for balancing the divergent and ambivalent issues in relation to the inclusion of non-organic and external feed material on the different levels relevant in organic production

Possibilities and limitations of protein supply in organic poultry and pig production

It is one of the general recommendations in animal nutrition that the diet should be formulated according to the specific requirements of animals at the various stages of their development. To which degree the farmer can adapt the nutrient supply to the specific requirements of the animals depends primarily on the production goal and on the availability of nutrient resources. This report gives a general introduction to the present situation for dietary protein supply to poultry and pig production in relation to the principles for organic agriculture and husbandry production. Furthermore it includes partly literature based on research from conventional animal production, as the requirements on the level of the animals are not different in both systems. Moreover, there only few research projects of organic production systems available. This report is primarily focussing on the question whether a nutrient supply of 100% organic feed can and should be realised. In this context, it is not possible to cover all aspects in detail as the report cannot replace a textbook. The main emphasis is laid on a coherent argumentation based on the leading ideas of organic agriculture. Concerning further relevant aspects it is referred to the report ”Supply and demand for concentrated organic feed in the EU in 2002 and 2003” by Susanne Padel as part of the same EU-project: ‘Research to support the EU-regulation on Organic Agriculture’ (www.organic-revision.org) and to the project “Availability of organically reared livestock” (S. Gomez, JRC, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, this study is expected to be completed in November 2005). In conventional animal production, a nutrient supply that is closely related to the requirements is an important tool in the performance-oriented production (FLACHOWSKY, 1998). The objective of animal nutrition is to adapt the nutrient supply as accurately as possible to the requirements resulting from maintenance and performance need. Soybean meal, due to the high protein content and high protein quality, has developed into the most important protein source in the nutrition of monogastric animals. Additionally, synthetic amino acids (DL-methionine) and industrial amino acids (produced from microbial fermentation, L-amino acids) are used to balance the supply of essential amino acids. While the use of soybean meal and synthetic amino acids is normal practice in conventional animal production, the Council-Regulation No. 2092/91, amended by Council Regulation No. 1804/99 on organic livestock production bans the use of chemically extracted soybean meal and synthetic amino acids on organic farms as livestock must be fed primarily on organically produced feedstuffs (Annex 1, paragraph 4.2). By way of a derogation from paragraph 4.2, for a transitional period expiring on 24 August 2005, the use of a limited proportion of non-organic feedstuffs is authorised where farmers can show to the satisfaction of the inspection body that they are unable to obtain feed exclusively from organic production (paragraph 4.8). The derogation, although with a declining percentage of non-organic feedstuffs over the next years, has been prolonged in July 2005. The preferable use of home-grown feedstuffs and limitations in the choice of boughtin feedstuffs can be the cause of considerable variation in the composition of the diets, and considerably restrict the possibilities for the adaptation of the feed ration to the specific requirements. Due to the limited availability of essential amino acids in particular, there is concern that nutritional imbalances encountered in practice might lead to deteriorating animal health and welfare. On the other hand, there is also the concern that allowing conventional feedstuffs to be fed in organic livestock production will result in intensification of production. The intensification might cause the same problems in organic production as conventional production already shows (animal health problems, risk of residues and GM contamination etc.). Thus, the use of non-organic feedstuffs may have a damaging effect on consumer confidence in organic products of animal origin. In the following the nutritional-physiological effects of a variation in protein supply with respect to growth performance and protein accretion in broilers, turkeys, laying hens, and pigs are examined by means of a literature review. Additionally, the potential effects of the protein content in the diet on product quality, animal health and environmental damage are addressed. It is the aim of the report to provide an overview of the many different aspects of the protein supply in organic poultry and pig production. Many different aspects are taken into account to elaborate possibilities to handle the use of organic and non-organic feedstuffs with respect to the objectives and framework conditions of organic livestock production. However, due to the complex interactions not all aspects can be covered. There is room and need for explanation and for further research

Development of strategies to improve quality and safety and reduce cost of production in organic and “low input” livestock production systems

The demand for organic livestock products is still increasing. To support this growth and to help remove potential obstacles the fourth Subproject of QLIF addresses several themes related to livestock farming. In this overview paper the main results to date are presented. It briefly discusses progress made on preventative treatments against pig and poultry parasites, as well as the reduction of rodent burdens on farm. The activities on probiotics and nutribiotics experiments are listed, as are studies undertaken to improve the meat quality of pigs through different protein sources and diet composition. Finally, work is being presented aiming to reduce the incidence of mastitis, and the reduction of faecal shedding of pathogens in cattle. The overview concludes that much work has been done, but that the main task of increasing competitiveness of the organic and low-input livestock sector through the implementation of our knowledge, still lies ahead of us

Effekte der Umstellung von schweinehaltenden Betrieben in einem ökologischen Verbundsystem auf umweltrelevante und ökonomische Kenngrößen

Zusammenfassung: Einer steigenden Verbrauchernachfrage nach Schweinefleisch aus ökologischer Erzeugung steht ein geringes Angebot aus der regionalen Erzeugung gegenüber. Ausländische Anbieter schicken sich an, diese Marktlücke zu schließen. Auf Seiten der konventionelle Erzeuger bestehen zum Teil erhebliche Vorbehalte, auf eine verbraucherorientierte Produktionsweise umzustellen. Mangelnde Kenntnisse über die gesamtbetrieblichen Auswirkungen einer Umstellung sowie Informationsdefizite bezüglich verfahrenstechnischer und ökonomischer Kenngrößen hindern die Landwirte daran, sich mit den Vor- und Nachteilen einer Umstellung auseinander zu setzen. In dem Untersuchungsvorhaben wurden ausgehend von der aktuellen Situation auf schweine haltenden Betrieben einer Erzeugergemeinschaft für Schweinefleisch die Auswirkungen einer Umstellung untersucht. Basierend auf Daten zum Nährstoffmanagement, Futterbau, Fütterung, und zu den Produktionskosten wurde unter Berücksichtigung der Rahmenricht linien der Ökologischen Landwirtschaft betriebsspezifische Umstellungsszenarien erarbeitet, anhand derer gesamtbetriebliche Auswirkungen der mit der Umstellung einhergehenden Produktionsbeschränkungen abgeleitet werden können. Darüber hinaus wurde untersucht, inwieweit durch ein betriebsübergreifendes Verbundsystem einzelbetriebliche Begrenzungen in den Produktionsmitteln abgemildert werden können. Die Ergebnisse können wie folgt zusammengefasst werden: Eine einzelbetriebliche Umstellung ist unter Beibehaltung des bisherigen Viehbestandes nur von etwa 61 % der untersuchten Betriebe realisierbar. Entsprechend bestehen für 39 % der Betriebe aufgrund des über die Marge von 2 GVE/ha liegenden Viehbesatzes erheb liche Umstellungsschwierigkeiten. Bei einer Umstellung in einem betriebsübergreifendem Verbundsystem könnten die bisherigen Tierzahlen aufrechterhalten werden. In der derzeitigen Situation liegt auf vielen Betrieben eine hohe Versorgungslage der Böden mit Nährstoffen vor. Aufgrund der Dünge-Verordnung werden viele Betriebe das bisher praktizierte Düngungsniveau mittelfristig deutlich einschränken müssen. Durch eine Umstellung auf die ökologische Wirtschaftsweise können die Nährstoffsalden sowohl von Stickstoff als von Phosphor und Kalium gegenüber der derzeitigen Situation deutlich reduziert werden. Das Bilanzsaldo von Stickstoff verringerte sich von 167 kg N/ha in der Ist-Situation auf 63 bzw. 62 kg N/ha in den Umstellungsszenarien I und II. Analog wurden auch die Bilanzsalden von Phosphor ausgehend von 35 kg P/ha in der Ist-Situation auf 2 bzw. 4 kg P/ha und von Kalium ausgehend von 97 kg K/ha auf 17 bzw. 27 kg K/ha in den Umstellungsszenarien I und II reduziert. Maßgeblich für die Verringerung der Salden nach der Umstellung auf die ökologische Wirtschaftsweise waren die drastisch reduzierten Input-Mengen an Nährstoffen in den Betrieb. Während in der konventionellen Ausgangssituation der Bedarf an Futtergetreide zu 80 % durch die betriebseigene Erzeugung gedeckt wurde, müssen nach der Umstellung in Szenario I bis zu 60 % und in Szenario II bis zu 48 % der Bedarfsmengen an Futtergetreide zugekauft werden. Allerdings reduzieren sich nach der Umstellung die Zukaufmengen an Eiweißergänzungsmittel im Mittel um ca. 45 % gegenüber der Ausgangssituation. Durch die Umstellung auf die ökologische Wirtschaftsweise erhöhen sich vor allem aufgrund sehr hoher Ferkel- und Futterkosten die Produktionskosten um ca. 68%. Durch eine zentrale Organisation der Schweinezucht, Futtermittelerzeugung und -beschaffung sowie durch entsprechende Konzepte für die Nutzung der ‘Nichtfutterflächen‘ können erhebliche Synergieeffekte genutzt und die Produktionskosten gesenkt werden

Effects of a feeding strategy to increase intramuscular fat content of pork under the conditions of organic farming

In an ongoing study, the effect of the implementation of a specific feeding strategy using a high portion of home-grown grain legumes on the intramuscular fat (IMF) content of pork, is assessed under different conditions on organic farms in Germany and Austria. Preliminary results indicate that variation in the IMF content seems to be higher between farms than between treatments within each farm

A Large Mass Hierarchy from a Small Extra Dimension

We propose a new higher-dimensional mechanism for solving the Hierarchy Problem. The Weak scale is generated from a large scale of order the Planck scale through an exponential hierarchy. However, this exponential arises not from gauge interactions but from the background metric (which is a slice of AdS_5 spacetime). This mechanism relies on the existence of only a single additional dimension. We demonstrate a simple explicit example of this mechanism with two three-branes, one of which contains the Standard Model fields. The experimental consequences of this scenario are new and dramatic. There are fundamental spin-2 excitations with mass of weak scale order, which are coupled with weak scale as opposed to gravitational strength to the standard model particles. The phenomenology of these models is quite distinct from that of large extra dimension scenarios; none of the current constraints on theories with very large extra dimensions apply.Comment: 9 pages, LaTe

Recommendations to the formulation of EU regulation 2092/91 on livestock production

Within the SAFO network, the workpackage on standard development has focussed on the topic, on how and to what degree the EU-Regulations con-tribute to the objective of a high status of anima health and food safety in organic livestock production. Results and conclusions from the discussions at 5 SAFO workshops are presented

Fat Brane Phenomena

Gravitons could permeate extra space dimensions inaccessible to all other particles, which would be confined to ``branes''. We point out that these branes could be ``fat'' and have a non-vanishing width in the dimensions reserved for gravitons. In this case the other particles, confined within a finite width, should have ``branon'' excitations. Chiral fermions behave differently from bosons under dimensional reduction, and they may --or may not-- be more localized than bosons. All these possibilities are in principle testable and distinguishable, they could yield spectacular signatures at colliders, such as the production of the first branon excitation of $\gamma$'s or $Z$'s, decaying into their ground state plus a quasi-continuum of graviton recurrences. We explore these ideas in the realm of a future lepton collider and we individuate a {\it dimensiometer}: an observable that would cleanly diagnose the number of large ``extra'' dimensions.Comment: 12 Latex2e, 8 EPS figures, using epsfi

Homotopy Structure of 5d Vacua

It is shown that flat zero-energy solutions (vacua) of the 5d Kaluza-Klein theory admit a non-trivial homotopy structure generated by certain Kaluza-Klein excitations. These vacua consist of an infinite set of homotopically different spacetimes denoted by $\mathcal{M}^{(n)}_5$, among which $\mathcal{M}^{(0)}_5$ and $\mathcal{M}^{(1)}_5$ are especially identified as $M_{4} \times S^{1}$ and $M_5$, the ground states of the 5d Kaluza-Klein theory and the 5d general relativity, respectively (where $M_k$ represents the $k$-dimensional Minkowski space).Comment: 8 page