Rethinking and engaging with animal health in organic farming

2019 ◽  
pp. 59-78
Author(s):  
Mette Vaarst ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Animal Health

Animal health and nutrition in organic farming.

2017 ◽  
pp. 167-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Vaarst ◽  
M. R. Weisbjerg ◽  
T. Kristensen ◽  
S. M. Thamsborg ◽  
A. White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health And Nutrition

A history of organic farming: Transitions from Sir Albert Howard's War in the Soil to USDA National Organic Program

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Heckman
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Social Environmental

The organic farming concept developed in the period prior to 1940 and was pioneered by Sir Albert Howard (1873–1947). Howard, born and educated in England, directed agricultural research centers in India (1905–1931) before permanently returning to England. His years of agricultural research experiences and observations gradually evolved into a philosophy and concept of organic farming that he espoused in several books. Howard's thinking on soil fertility and the need to effectively recycle waste materials, including sewage sludge, onto farmland was reinforced by F.H. King's book,Farmers of Forty Centuries. Howard developed a system of composting that became widely adopted. Howard's concept of soil fertility centered on building soil humus with an emphasis on how soil life was connected to the health of crops, livestock, and mankind. Howard argued that crop and animal health was a birthright and that the correct method of dealing with a pathogen was not to destroy the pathogen but to see what could be learned from it or to ‘make use of it for tuning up agricultural practice’. The system of agriculture advocated by Howard was coined ‘organic’ by Walter Northbourne to refer to a system ‘having a complex but necessary interrelationship of parts, similar to that in living things’. Lady Eve Balfour compared organic and non-organic farming and helped to popularize organic farming with the publication ofThe Living Soil. Jerome Rodale, a publisher and an early convert to organic farming, was instrumental in the diffusion and popularization of organic concepts in the US. Both Howard and Rodale saw organic and non-organic agriculture as a conflict between two different visions of what agriculture should become as they engaged in a war of words with the agricultural establishment. A productive dialogue failed to occur between the organic community and traditional agricultural scientists for several decades. Organic agriculture gained significant recognition and attention in 1980, marked by the USDA publicationReport and Recommendations on Organic Farming. The passage of the Federal Organic Foods Production Act in 1990 began the era of accommodation for organic farming in the USA, followed by another milestone with official labeling as USDA Certified Organic in 2002. Organic agriculture will likely continue to evolve in response to ongoing social, environmental, and philosophical concerns of the organic movement.

Bovine veterinarians’ perspective on organic livestock production in the USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (12) ◽  
pp. 384-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike S Sorge ◽  
Sarii Yamashita ◽  
Laura Pieper
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Alternative Therapies ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Livestock Health

The objective was to determine possible challenge areas that bovine veterinarians may face when working on certified organic livestock operations. All members of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners’ electronic mailing list, who practised in the USA, were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. Veterinarians (n=213) from 38 states participated in the survey. The focus of the survey was on the veterinarian’s interest in and perception of organic farming, their knowledge of the use of alternative therapies under federal regulations and their needs for providing veterinary services to organic farms. Most participants worked in dairy practice and served ≥1 organic client. Their attitude towards organic production was balanced. Many veterinarians struggled to offer sick animal care with alternative therapies within the regulatory framework and expressed their need to have more evidence-based alternative therapies. Two-thirds of veterinarians were concerned that the lack of proven effective therapy options would impair livestock welfare on organic farms in the USA. Almost 90 per cent of respondents did not think that organic livestock was healthier than conventionally raised livestock and most participants (74 per cent) thought livestock health was dependent on management rather than organic or conventional farming practices. In summary, participants were generally not opposed to organic farming. However, most veterinarians expressed their need to have a better access to clear information about organic regulations and most importantly more evidence-based alternative therapies to ensure animal health and welfare on organic livestock operations.

Biosecurity: tools, behaviours and concepts

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-452
Author(s):  
Alan MacLeod ◽  
Nicola Spence
Keyword(s):  
Plant Protection ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
Harmful Organisms ◽  
The One ◽  
Biosecurity Practices

COVID 19 has raised the profile of biosecurity. However, biosecurity is not only about protecting human life. This issue brings together mini-reviews examining recent developments and thinking around some of the tools, behaviours and concepts around biosecurity. They illustrate the multi-disciplinary nature of the subject, demonstrating the interface between research and policy. Biosecurity practices aim to prevent the spread of harmful organisms; recognising that 2020 is the International Year of Plant Health, several focus on plant biosecurity although invasive species and animal health concerns are also captured. The reviews show progress in developing early warning systems and that plant protection organisations are increasingly using tools that compare multiple pest threats to prioritise responses. The bespoke modelling of threats can inform risk management responses and synergies between meteorology and biosecurity provide opportunities for increased collaboration. There is scope to develop more generic models, increasing their accessibility to policy makers. Recent research can improve pest surveillance programs accounting for real-world constraints. Social science examining individual farmer behaviours has informed biosecurity policy; taking a broader socio-cultural approach to better understand farming networks has the potential to change behaviours in a new way. When encouraging public recreationists to adopt positive biosecurity behaviours communications must align with their values. Bringing together the human, animal, plant and environmental health sectors to address biosecurity risks in a common and systematic manner within the One Biosecurity concept can be achieved through multi-disciplinary working involving the life, physical and social sciences with the support of legislative bodies and the public.

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