The European Farmers’ Network has unveiled details of a number of higher welfare measures which it says are already helping farmers in the field deliver higher welfare whilst improving profits. The network, whose aim is to aid the spread of sustainable practices which benefit farmers, animals and the environment, reported on some of its successes at a fringe event being held before this year’s Oxford Farming Conference.

The network was born from a partnership between farm animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming and the Food Animal Initiative (FAI), an Oxford based research and development organisation which focuses on sustainable farming practices. The FAI, which has been active since 1998, currently operates the Oxford University farm.

The groups behind the European Farmers’ Network said it was convened to provide a voice for farmers eager to increase sustainability and to aid the transfer of knowledge and new innovations. The Network’s coordinator Ruth Layton said that the network is interested in seeking out farmers who can tackle major sustainability issues and validating their work with research and case studies.

Speaking on Tuesday (3rd January) she said, “We look at what people are doing and we tell the truth. There is nothing more exciting than that.” Layton went on to comment on the “Immensely generous” nature of farmers, stating that “The best mechanism for change is farmers talking to other farmers; they speak the same language and trust one another.”

Scientific approach to grazing yields financial and welfare results

One such farmer is Dai Wilson, who manages Woodend farm in Oxfordshire and who has been eager to share his experience of grass quantification. Mr Wilson uses a plate meter once a week to calculate dry matter from grass. He said that, by calculating the amount of available dry matter per hectare of grass, as he would with dry food in a silo, and rotating grazing accordingly, he was able to turn his cows out to pasture one month earlier this year.

According to Mr Wilson, fine tuned grazing has yielded impressive results and looks to become more attractive in the future given the rises in input costs, which are expected to continue well into 2012. He pointed out that, not only is grass cheaper than silage, it has greater metabolisable energy (ME). A tonne of grass has a better ME rating and costs around £30 per tonne, compared to £220 for cake.

Furthermore, housing cows outside reduces the costs and labour associated with scraping, bedding and feeding. It also provides greater insulation from costs associated with diesel use for cleaning. Grazing is also reported to increase grass quality and contribute to increased fertility.

Although he acknowledged that the practice limited a farm to a given stocking rate, Mr Wilson said this does not necessarily mean farmers would make less money, explaining that, as milk produced from grass is cheaper, farmers may not need to scale-up to secure their bottom line.

Mr Wilson said, “As input prices continue to rise, dairy farming will go two ways; as some people unlock the potential of scientific grass management, others will move to more intensive, indoor systems. This system offers some protection from rising costs for farmers who are reluctant to go down that route.”

Other welfare innovations

The EFN also used its fringe event to discuss improvements in pig systems, including ensuring pigs have enough manipulable materials to allow for rooting behaviour, which reduces the incidence of tail-biting and therefore the need to dock tails, and reported on improvements in broiler hen welfare from a Devonshire farm.

The initiative also reported on successes combating foot rot, which it claims currently costs UK farmers £8 per ewe. According to FAI, by focusing on five key areas farmers can reduce foot rot. These areas are:

• Culling badly or repeatedly affected animals

• Vaccinating animals to stimulate immunity

• Quarantining incoming animals

• Ensuring early treatment of clinical cases

• Avoiding spreading infection at gathering and handling

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