Document type news item from the LIT Ouesterel group
Author : LIT Ouesterel
Preview: One of the main obstacles to improving animal welfare on farms is the lack of knowledge concerning the possible associated negative impacts on performance in other areas (economics, environment, health, working conditions, etc.). In such cases, we refer to the"trade-offs" involved in improving animal welfare.
In order to plug this knowledge gap, the three Agricultural Technical Institutes who partner with LIT OUESTEREL (IDELE, IFIP and ITAVI), have, since January 2023, each started a project (entitled, respectively, "MultiBov", "MultiPorc" and "MultiPoul") with the goal of developing a tool to assess the impacts of practices or systems that are a priori welfare-friendly on the other criteria applied to livestock farming (economics, environment, health, working conditions, the true welfare levels of animals).
The work will be carried out in consultation with these three institutes and will be based on an assessment previously carried out by the LIT OUESTEREL Association, in partnership with the Brittany Chamber of Agriculture. Working practices will follow Living Lab principles, thus allowing much room for dialogue and co-construction.
These 18-month projects will produce tools to help and support the improvement of animal welfare conditions on farms through changes in practices and farming systems, innovation, and the improvement of farm buildings, while at the same time providing better monitoring of other farm performances. They will be aimed at farmers, technicians and agricultural advisors.
