On 26 and 27 February 2025, the pig farms participating in the ‘Fokus Tierwohl’ network’s pilot scheme met in Borgentreich, North Rhine-Westphalia. The meeting once again provided a valuable platform for professional exchange and practical insights into current developments in animal welfare in pig farming.
The network meeting of the Schwein pilot farms in Baden-Württemberg focused on topics including the provision of colostrum to suckling piglets and the rearing of weaned pigs. The meeting took place in Ehingen-Berg, Baden-Württemberg. Once again, the event provided a valuable platform for professional exchange and offered fascinating insights into current developments in the field of animal welfare in pig farming.
Pig: Animal welfare-focused husbandry approaches in existing buildings and the State Animal Husbandry Labelling Act
Network meeting of the pig farming pilot farms in Lower Saxony
On 22 and 23 October 2024, the pilot pig farms from the Fokus Tierwohl network gathered in Naumburg for another in-person meeting. Around 20 farm managers from the pilot farms, three representatives from the office of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Pigs, and the animal welfare multipliers from Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia used the event for in-depth exchanges and to discuss current challenges in pig farming.
Pig: Current developments in the piglet and pork markets
Network meeting of the pig farming pilot farms in Lower Saxony
At the second in-person meeting of the Animal Welfare Pilot Farms in 2023, 16 farm managers gathered in Bad Münder in the district of Hameln-Pyrmont, together with a representative from the office of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Pigs, the animal welfare ambassador from Lower Saxony, and the network coordinator from FiBL.
In November 2023, the pilot poultry farms met for a final in-person networking event. This time, ten farm managers from the poultry network travelled to the Lower Saxony–Netherlands border, to Nordhorn/Wilsum in the County of Bad Bentheim. Ingo Mardink had agreed to host the farm tour. The County of Bad Bentheim is also one of the regions with the highest density of laying hens in Germany.
Beef: Inspiration from the 'real North'
Network meeting of the Schwein pilot farms
The latest network meeting of the Rind pilot farms took place at the end of November near the North Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein, hosted by two pilot farms. The meeting focused on calf rearing, and the organisers took advantage of the local proximity to visit a German specialist in calf rearing.
The Fokus Tierwohl network took part in the EU CAP Network workshop in Hanover. The focus was on EU-wide professional exchange on the topics of animal welfare and sustainable livestock farming. Three model farms from the Fokus Tierwohl network also gave participants the opportunity to learn about their farms and their work during field trips.
The international group of workshop participants gained first-hand insights into animal welfare in the cattle, poultry and pig sectors. There were many interesting discussions and an open exchange of views among the participants.
Tried and tested at EuroTier 2022, and repeated at the 2023 Öko-Feldtage: the “Impulslounge” organised by the Fokus Tierwohl network. With more than 12,000 visitors, this year’s Öko-Feldtage took place at the Grieshaber & Schmid farm in Ditzingen, near Stuttgart. Over the two days of the event, 14 farms and projects presented their experiences on a specific topic at their own premises through short statements and brief talks.
Pig: Piglet rearing, market conditions and extensive networking
Network meeting of the Schwein pilot farms
The first in-person meeting of the pilot farms in 2023 took place in Attendorn in the Sauerland region. Nine managers from pilot farms were present. Also in attendance were two representatives from the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), two animal welfare multipliers (from the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture), a representative from the office of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Pigs, and network coordinators from FiBL.
Following the successful first in-person meeting of the ‘Impulsbetriebe Rind’ network, twelve farms set off for Naumburg this time, despite some cancellations due to illness. The second meeting of the ‘Impulsbetriebe Rind’ took place there on 1 and 2 March, providing an opportunity for professional exchange and visits to two farms in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The meeting was accompanied by Mr Enke and Ms Deeg from the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food, which acts as the project sponsor.
Pig: No tail docking, pen layout and open-air housing
Network meeting of the Schwein pilot farms
Twenty-one people from a total of nine pilot pig farms in the Hohenlohe region of Baden-Württemberg attended the in-person meeting of the pilot pig farms. The host of the network meeting was Markus Wilhelm from Mulfingen-Hohenrot. In addition to the farm managers, a representative from the DLG, two animal welfare multipliers (from the LAZBW Boxberg) and two vets (livestock support) also took part in the meeting.
As is customary at these network meetings, a collegial exchange took place on the afternoon of the first day.
In early November 2022, the long-awaited and first in-person networking meeting of the poultry pilot farms took place. Up until then, all meetings had had to be held virtually. A small but enthusiastic group of farm managers made the journey to LindenGut near Fulda and enriched the meeting with their open discussion.
Following a very interesting and detailed first part of the introductory round for the pilot farms, which was characterised by open discussions and conversations, the group turned its attention to a topical and much-discussed issue – in-ovo sex determination. Laura Zumbrink from Agri Advanced Technologies (AAT) presented the basics and possibilities of in-ovo sex determination. Ms Zumbrink also provided insights into the work of AAT. After a short break, the presentation of the participating farms continued.
In mid-October 2022, the pilot farms finally held an in-person meeting after a long time. Until then, there had only ever been virtual meetings in small groups. This time, too, it was a small but select group of committed participants, but they met in person to exchange ideas.
After getting to know one another, the group visited the Naturlandhof Loipfierer farm in Kirchdorf near Mühldorf. The dairy farm was part of the MuD animal welfare project ‘Optimised Calf Rearing’ and was able to showcase some interesting aspects and innovations, particularly in the calf rearing area, especially in the regard of rearing calves with foster cows. Farm manager Leo Haslberger provided detailed insights into the processes and explained farm-specific features such as seasonal calving, short-grass pasture and a milking system based on the New Zealand model.
After a delicious dinner at the inn, the pilot farms were once again presented with the latest information on networking activities (e.g. the Cattle Expert Advisory Board, the working groups and their output) and plans for meetings and events. Afterwards, the participants were once again called upon to draw on their ingenuity and creativity: the pilot farms were asked to consider what functions and benefits, but also what responsibilities, should be associated with participation in the ‘Network Focus on Animal Welfare’ project in future.
In dairy farming, the separation of cows and calves immediately after birth is standard practice and has long been regarded as essential to ensure the calves receive optimal care and to protect them from health problems. In suckler cow farming, calves remain with their mothers at all times, and the close bond between the animals is clearly evident. It is precisely this close bond that causes stress for both cow and calf when they are separated later on. Cows in particular, when separated from their offspring just a few days after birth, usually express their displeasure quite vocally. Through calling out or actively searching for the calf in the barn, the stress of separation becomes noticeable to those outside as well. Calves housed separately also display less calm behaviour and call out more frequently.
For several years now, various farms have been attempting to establish ‘mother-calf rearing’. Under this system, cows are allowed to have direct contact with their calves during the first weeks of life and to suckle them – even whilst being milked. That this endeavour is not as straightforward as it seems was also made clear at a thematic network meeting on ‘cow-bonded rearing’ organised by the Impulsbetriebe Rind.
Pig – Improving animal welfare in conventional piggery – Peer-to-peer advice on conversion solutions
As the in-person networking meetings planned for October 2021 could not take place for various reasons, around 20 pilot farms met on 16 November 2021 for a collegial exchange.
At this meeting, farm manager Jan-Martin Griefahn from Lower Saxony presented his conventional fattening barn. Farm managers who had already implemented many changes in the fattening sector themselves offered numerous tips and advice. A lively discussion ensued.
What might an innovative housing concept for dairy cattle look like if animal welfare, ecology and economics were taken into account? This was the question posed by numerous experts from all federal states as part of the ‘Holistic Farm-Level Housing Concepts for Dairy Cattle’ project. In an online event, Dr Ilka Steinhöfel, representing the expert group, presented the latest project findings to the pilot farms.
The first results from the three working groups on “Whole-farm husbandry concepts” for cattle, pigs and poultry were presented back in early October 2021 at an event held at Haus Düsse (LWK NRW). Now, the pilot farms for cattle welfare were to be given the opportunity to have the concept for dairy cattle explained to them.
The beef farms in the Fokus Tierwohl network have always taken a keen interest in current issues. The progress made on the government’s animal welfare labelling scheme for milk was therefore the subject of discussions with Dr Kemmerling, representing the BMEL.
A government-backed animal welfare label has been the aim for several years – not only in Germany, but also at EU level. Following on from pigs, the focus in Germany has now shifted to dairy cattle. There is currently a proposal for a draft three-tier animal welfare label, although some points are still only at the discussion stage as no consensus has yet been reached. Practitioners and scientists, consultants and associations were involved in developing the concept.
The cattle farms in the Fokus Tierwohl network always take a keen interest in current issues. The legislative amendments to the Animal Welfare Transport Regulation, which were announced in June 2021, were therefore one of the topics discussed with Dr Kemmerling, representing the BMEL.
The existing 14-day rule in the Animal Welfare Transport Regulation prohibiting the transport of calves has been extended to the 28th day of life. A submission from Lower Saxony appears to have set the ball rolling and led to the age limit being raised in the draft legislation.
The first in-person meeting of the Schwein pilot farms took place at the end of June. Following the long ‘Covid break’, during which communication had only been possible online, farm managers from a total of 16 pilot farms met in Bad Hersfeld, in central Germany.
Benjamin Unangst from the Boxberg Education and Knowledge Centre (LSZ) was secured as the speaker for the first day. He joined the meeting online and gave a very vivid presentation, using many photos, on various ways of structuring pens. On the second day, the participants were guests at the Eichhof, the inter-company training centre of the Landesbetriebs Landwirtschaft Hessen (LLH). There, Nadja Böck from the “Animal Husbandry Specialist Information” team, specialising in pig farming, first provided an overview of the development of animal husbandry at the Eichhof over the past decades.
“The design of farrowing pens from an animal welfare perspective” was the topic of a moderated discussion as part of the DLG Spotlight on Pigs. The managers of three sow-rearing farms used photographs to provide an insight into their housing facilities and daily workflows involving various exercise pens. Moderated by Dr Christian Lambertz (FiBL Deutschland e.V.) and Dr Sabine Schütze (Secretariat of the Animal Welfare Competence Centre for Pigs at the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture), a lively exchange of experiences took place in front of 470 interested spectators.
The design and management of the mating centre have come increasingly into focus in recent years. A network of demonstration farms had already been working on the mating centre as part of the Animal Welfare Model and Demonstration Projects (MuD). Under the working title ‘Improvement and enrichment of the housing environment for pregnant sows’ (https://www.mud-tierschutz.de/mud-tierschutz/netzwerke-demonstrationsbetriebe/netzwerke-schwein/netzwerk-8/), various measures were implemented on the participating farms.
At the online network meeting on 22 April, representatives from two of these farms used illustrated presentations to explain the changes they had made to their mating centres and the resulting advantages and disadvantages.
The ‘Animal Welfare’ pilot farms are well aware that feeding, health and, consequently, animal welfare are closely interlinked, and that careful observation of the animals is essential for assessment. But can one draw conclusions about the implementation of the feed ration simply by observing the cows – without having to consult data from milk yield testing or blood and urine samples? It was precisely for this purpose that the French veterinarian Bruno Giboudeau spent decades developing the Obsalim® method, which enables feeding diagnostics to be carried out through the observation of ruminants on the one hand, and allows recommendations for adjustments to be derived on the other. The network participants were keen not to miss out on this self-help tool and were introduced to the method by veterinarian Dr Andreas Striezel at the network meeting.
Poultry: Alternative sources of protein
Online networking event on 31 May 2021
Alternative protein sources are playing an increasingly important role in the feeding of laying hens and broiler poultry, particularly as the food retail sector is also increasingly demanding GMO-free feed. For this reason, a networking meeting of the Poultry Pilot Farms was held on precisely this topic.
Webinars by Prof. Dr Gerhard Bellof from Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences were viewed in preparation and to provide scientific input. During the network meeting, Prof. Bellof was then on hand to answer detailed questions. The group of pilot farms discussed individual feed mixtures, as well as general principles regarding the use of alternative protein feedstuffs in poultry feeding.
Poultry: Rearing and marketing of young roosters
Online networking event on 13 April 2021
From 1 January 2022, the killing of day-old chicks for economic reasons is to be banned in Germany. Many laying hen farms, and hatcheries in particular, need solutions. In addition to the various methods of sexing eggs and the use of dual-purpose chickens, where both roosters and hens are reared and can be used for eggs or meat respectively, the rearing of male chicks from laying lines is currently being scrutinised.
Robert Sperrer from the Austrian company Eiermacher presented the challenges and potential solutions based on over six years of experience.
Pig: Healthy animals
Online networking event on 23 March 2021
Torsten Lange, whose farm served as a model and demonstration farm for animal welfare from 2018 to 2020, shared his experiences from the past five to six years at the online meeting of the Pig Pilot Farms on 23 March. His presentation was entitled “Out of necrosis – into productivity. More enjoyment and success in the barn through systematic management and animal observation”.
Pig: Innovative feeding concepts
Online networking event on 4 March 2021
When it comes to pigs, the broad topic of feeding is one of the priority areas for the pilot farms. Prof. Dr Georg Dusel from Bingen University of Applied Sciences has been invited to give an online lecture on this subject on 4 March 2021.
The pilot cattle farms had the opportunity to get to know one another during the first virtual meetings in small groups at the end of January. Three small groups focusing on dairy cattle and one small group on suckler cow husbandry and fattening were thus formed. To achieve the aim of intensive discussion and further development regarding animal welfare on their own farms, care was taken to ensure a diverse mix of farm structures when forming the groups. This ranged from geographical location to farm size.
The second round of network meetings was then held again in late February/early March within the existing small groups. The status quo on the farms was analysed by the committed participants, and lively discussions have already taken place.