Assessment of environmental effects, animal welfare and milk quality among organic dairy farms

Müller-Lindenlauf, Maria; Deittert, Christine; Köpke, Ulrich

doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2009.11.013

Cited by 74 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Some studies have proposed integrated models in order to assess the sustainability of agriculture activity taking into account multiple factors associated with production (Meul et al 2008;M€ uller-Lindenlauf et al 2010). These authors considered, in particular, ecological aspects as biodiversity and environmental impact, economic (profitability and productivity) and social aspects including animal welfare and farm management of milk production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-dimensional assessment and scoring system for dairy farms

Zucali

Battelli

Battini

et al. 2016

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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The aim of the study is to develop a scoring system for dairy farms in order to give specific information about the product and production process of milk. The scoring system, based on a multi-dimensional approach, was developed on the basis of data collected in 29 Italian dairy farms and included different aspects. For the evaluation of animal welfare, a selection of indicators set up in the European Project V R assessment protocol for cattle 2009 was used. Environmental sustainability of milk production was assessed by a cradle-to-farm-gate Life Cycle Assessment. Laboratory analyses were carried out on bulk tank milk to evaluate microbiological, nutritional and nutraceutical quality. Nineteen variables were selected and retained to define six quality aspects: animal welfare, environmental and economic sustainability of farms, microbiological, nutritional and nutraceutical quality of milk. Each farm was visited twice; each visit received, for each variable, a score between 1 and 3 based on the frequency distribution of that variable in the farm sample. The relation among farm characteristics and quality aspects showed the importance to maximise dairy efficiency to improve environmental and economic sustainability of the farms and the inclusion of hay in dairy cows' ration to enhance the nutraceutical and nutritional quality of milk. The proposed multi-dimensional scoring system is a practical tool: for the farmer, to support decisions for improving the quality of the product and the productive process; for the dairy company, as a value-added opportunity; for the consumer, who receives detailed information about nutritional characteristics and production system of dairy products. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-dimensional assessment and scoring system for dairy farms

Zucali

Battelli

Battini

et al. 2016

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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“…Overall, low-input farm types showed positive effects on the impact on animal welfare (Müller-Lindenlauf, 2010).…”

Section: Work Sourcementioning

confidence: 97%

Scientific Opinion on the assessment of dairy cow welfare in small‐scale farming systems

2015

EFS2

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This opinion reviews information on small-scale dairy cow farming systems in Europe, including the impact of production diseases on welfare of cows, and proposes a methodology for welfare assessment in those systems. To address specific expectations of consumers that food be produced locally or regionally or maintaining acceptable animal welfare conditions, in addition to herd size, criteria to define farms as "non-conventional" were proposed. Several sources were investigated for identifying criteria for the description and categorisation of small-scale farms, including dairy umbrella organisations and literature. In addition to herd size (up to 75 cows), proposed criteria related to small-scale farming comprise the workforce source, input level, indigenous breed use and production type certification. To cover the large diversity of farming systems across Europe, it was proposed that farms meeting at least two of these criteria be considered non-conventional. To adapt the welfare assessment to small-scale farms, the same risk factors and welfare consequences, as measured by corresponding animalbased measures identified in previous opinions for intensive farming systems were considered to be also relevant for small-scale systems. In addition, factors related to resources provided on pasture (e.g. shelter), management of pasture (e.g. mixing herds) and management of the cows (e.g. use of local breeds) were considered more likely to be present in small-scale systems. An on-farm survey was run to collect data for welfare assessment from 124 European farms. The distribution of risk factors and animal-based measures varied across the full range in study farms and showed similar patterns in farms with different grazing systems (from no time to full year on pasture). The animal-based measures identified for intensive farming are well suited for application in smallscale dairy farms. Production disease impact on the individual animal's welfare state does not depend on herd size or farming system.

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“…Seven articles assessed animal welfare for a single product type, mostly dairy products (van Asselt et al 2015;Meul et al 2012;Mueller-Lindenlauf et al 2010;Del Prado et al 2011;Schmitt et al 2016;Zucali et al 2016), and once poultry (Castellini et al 2012). Two articles examined multiple products, including meat, eggs, and dairy products (Head et al 2014;Röös et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Framework for integrating animal welfare into life cycle sustainability assessment

Scherer

Tomasik²,

Rueda³

et al. 2017

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose This study seeks to provide a framework for integrating animal welfare as a fourth pillar into a life cycle sustainability assessment and presents three alternative animal welfare indicators. Methods Animal welfare is assessed during farm life and during slaughter. The indicators differ in how they value premature death. All three consider (1) the life quality of an animal such as space allowance, (2) the slaughter age either as life duration or life fraction, and (3) the number of animals affected for providing a product unit, e.g. 1 Mcal. One of the indicators additionally takes into account a moral value denoting their intelligence and self-awareness. The framework allows for comparisons across studies and products and for applications at large spatial scales. To illustrate the framework, eight products were analysed and compared: beef, pork, poultry, milk, eggs, salmon, shrimps, and, as a novel protein source, insects.Results and discussion Insects are granted to live longer fractions of their normal life spans, and their life quality is less compromised due to a lower assumed sentience. Still, they perform worst according to all three indicators, as their small body sizes only yield low product quantities. Therefore, we discourage from eating insects. In contrast, milk is the product that reduces animal welfare the least according to two of the three indicators and it performs relatively better than other animal products in most categories. The difference in animal welfare is mostly larger for different animal products than for different production systems of the same product. This implies that, besides less consumption of animal-based products, a shift to other animal products can significantly improve animal welfare. Conclusions While the animal welfare assessment is simplified, it allows for a direct integration into life cycle sustainability assessment. There is a trade-off between applicability and indicator complexity, but even a simple estimate of animal welfare is much better than ignoring the issue, as is the common practice in life cycle sustainability assessments. Future research should be directed towards elaborating the life quality criterion and extending the product coverage.

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Assessment of environmental effects, animal welfare and milk quality among organic dairy farms

Cited by 74 publications

References 28 publications

Multi-dimensional assessment and scoring system for dairy farms

Multi-dimensional assessment and scoring system for dairy farms

Scientific Opinion on the assessment of dairy cow welfare in small‐scale farming systems

Framework for integrating animal welfare into life cycle sustainability assessment

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