Conventional vs Organic Farming: Animal Welfare

In which ways does agriculture affect our environment and our daily lives? Read the introductory post to this series here. Part 1 explored water, part 2 focused on soil fertility, part 3 investigated biodiversity under organic vs conventional farming systems while part 4 controversially discussed climate protection through conventional vs organic farming. In part 5, I shed light on the question of climate adaption as a key technology of the future and part 6 focused on resource efficiency under conventional vs organic farming.

Animal welfare

In recent years, more and more people are appalled by the conditions under which animals are held in modern industrial livestock farms. Not without reason, as numbers of animals held in a small place have soared beyond anything imaginable and, what one would call natural.

Here’s a short excerpt from an article that I read in an agricultural journal some time ago:

“Just 10% of American pig farms produce over 90% of that country’s pork. China is aiming for a similar figure and there will be a few other countries approaching this level of intensification. There may be benefits in terms of economies of scale, even though some biological indices may be slightly depressed, but has enough consideration been given to animal welfare and antibiotic usage? What would happen if African swine fever or a flood was to hit such a unit? The Russians have experienced the former, whereas just a couple of years ago the Chinese experienced the consequences of siting a large unit on a flood plain near the river – when hundreds, if not thousands of pigs drowned and were washed downstream.”

Apparently, we have a problem regarding how animals are held. And people are increasingly concerned about the excessive use of antibiotics in livestock farming, which ultimately also end up in the food we eat.

Conventional vs organic livestock farming

What do organic farmers do differently from conventional farmers? Basically, organic animals need to have access to pasture. Conventionally held animals rarely to never have access to the outdoors. Most of these animals will never live to experience fresh air and sunlight, which are basic needs of all creatures! Organically reared animals also have more space available to them.

And a crucial point that is different in organic farming is the choice of animal breeds.

Conventional farming and breeding have produced high-yielding animals. But at the same time, these animals are much more prone to diseases than they used to be. Therefore, they need medical treatments more often. In addition to that, the excessive numbers and high density at which animals are held allows diseases to spread more easily on conventional farms.

Organic farmers generally choose more robust, locally adapted animal breeds. They are more often allowed to be outside and graze on fresh pasture grass and are given more space. That in itself prevents many diseases in organic livestock.

Are organic animals happier?

The concept of “animal welfare” has gained in significance over the last decades. Basically, animal welfare means that animals are healthy, that they don’t suffer and are kept in conditions that are somewhat natural to them. Consumer’s awareness and standards for modern animal husbandry are higher today than they were just a few decades ago. Interestingly, animal welfare is even defined and required in the German constitution!

So, does organic farming offer a solution to these issues? Are organically held animals happier and healthier than their conventional counterparts? Let’s look at the results from the study* once again!

Across all livestock species, the results of the study did not provide a clear picture if organic is more welfare-friendly than conventional husbandry. In summary, it can be noted that both organically and conventionally held animals are of similar health status.

This result is still significant if we consider that organic farmers are not allowed to give antibiotics to animals that are not sick (something which is common in conventional farming as a means of disease prevention). So, organic husbandry achieves good health in its animals with fewer veterinary treatments (such as antibiotics). Growth hormones are also prohibited in organic farming.

On other aspects of animal welfare, such as animal behaviour and emotional well-being, there weren’t sufficient studies available yet. After all, it’s not so easy to tell if an animal is emotionally well, given that it can’t speak. So, we will need more research to be able to tell if organic positively affects animal well-being.

My experience

From my experience of visiting or working on different livestock farms, I can tell that standards of animal welfare also largely vary from farm to farm. Even organic farming standards leave much room for compromising on animal welfare.

I know this doesn’t make it much easier for people who are not very experienced in farming to choose truly sustainable, well-reared animal products. But if you have the possibility, I would encourage you to visit farms in your vicinity, to look at the animals and talk to the farmer. If he or she lets you see the stables and the animals, that’s already a good sign! But keep in mind that modern pork farms, for instance, are completely closed to visitors to prevent viral diseases from spreading.

I recommend informing yourself on where the animal products you purchase are coming from, how these creatures were treated and whether you can sincerely take responsibility for what you eat. But generally, organic livestock farming is both better for the animals and for the environment.

Conclusions

Since this is the last of the 7 topics – water, soil fertility, biodiversity, climate protection, climate adaption, resource efficiency and animal welfare – which I wanted to cover in this series, I’ll let the authors of the study I cited draw their own conclusion:

“The differences between organic and conventional agriculture in the area of environmental and resource protection are in particular a result of the system approach pursued in organic farming that in turn leads typically to a reduced production intensity. For example, biodiversity in the agricultural landscape is enhanced by a lower fertilizer intensity and avoidance of herbicide use, low nitrogen balances and the limitation of the fertilisation level cause a low nitrate discharge risk. Extended crop rotations with organic fertilisation and multi‐year fodder production promote soil fertility and prevent the negative effects of climate change. Similarly, avoiding pesticides and minimizing the use of medications reduces the risk of seepage into groundwater.” (Sanders et al. 2019)

The authors of the study conclude that organic farming can make a relevant contribution to solving contemporary environmental and resource challenges. Thus, it is rightly considered a key technology for sustainable land use of the future.

In the next part of this series, it’s getting more practical. We’ll look at ways in which we can transition to organic farming – as individuals, as well as a society. It’s going to be an exciting discussion, so don’t miss out on it!

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*Sanders J, Hess J (eds) (2019) Leistungen des ökologischen Landbaus für Umwelt und Gesellschaft . Braunschweig: Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, 364 p, Thünen Rep 65, DOI:10.3220/REP1547040572000