Better for the animals, better for the environment

From high particulates and ammonia emission in chicken coops and aggression among pigs to deforestation due to soy plantations: there is much ado about livestock farming. More and more consumers feel that animals should be kept in a more sustainable way. The question is: what exactly is sustainable livestock farming? Opinions differ and are influenced by standards, values and emotions. For example: are humans equal or superior to animals? What do we consider animal welfare? To make matters more complicated, improving animal welfare often impacts the environment. Moreover, increasing sustainability requires considerable investments.

Carefully considered choices in increasing sustainability

Wageningen specialists in animal welfare, environment, climate and circular agriculture gather the knowledge that is needed to substantiate choices in making the livestock sector more sustainable. They map the needs of poultry, pigs, goats and other animals and calculate the impact they have on the environment, animal welfare and the farmers’ incomes across the globe. These insights are then translated into scientifically substantiated barn and feed concepts. This is a continuous process in which aspects of previous innovations such as Rondeel, Windstreek, Kwatrijn and Kipster, are deployed for even better barns.

Foraging all day

One concept that is used in pig farming to stimulate natural behaviour is the Family Pig. This contraption distributes feed through swivel arms from above onto the ground so that the pigs can forage and root all day long, as they would in nature. Thus, piglets interact with other piglets and sows from birth. This prevents the development of behavioural issues such as tail-biting at a later age.

Currently, experiments are also being conducted with a family trough in existing systems. This enables the piglets to forage and eat with the sow. Moreover, sows are provided with nesting material such as straw and burlap rags for birthing. It calms them so that more piglets survive, according to various studies.

A new feature in the chicken coops is a manure shuffler. This is an example of an innovation that benefits both animal welfare and the environment. Here, chickens forage in wood chips on the floor rather than in their own dried manure. The dry manure falls through the wood chips and is removed by the manure shuffler. The chickens enjoy clean bedding, and the emission of ammonia and particulates is expected to be significantly lower than in traditional coops. Moreover, farmers need not invest in costly ionisation installations to reduce the emission of particulates. The manure is so dry it can be processed immediately, which may well make the farmers money rather than saddling them with expenses as is currently the case. An added benefit is that chickens lay fewer eggs on the ground, saving the farmer time in the collection thereof.

Circular food system

Wageningen research also yielded ground-breaking knowledge on the role of animals in circular food systems. The idea is that farmland is used primarily for the production of crops for human consumption while waste streams such as potato peels and wheat feed are used as animal feed. At present, one-third of all the world’s farmland is used to grow crops that feed animals. If animals are fed from waste streams, this land will become available to grow crops for human consumption.

Wageningen experts study what options there are for such a circular system and what it should look like in practice. What waste streams are suited as feed, and what animals, and how many, are best kept on a diet of waste streams. Should a shipment of crooked shortbread go to pigs of chickens, for example? And, how does this affect the processing of waste streams? If such a system were implemented, would the Netherlands still be able to feed its current animal population?

Supply and demand

The experts also estimated how diets and consumer product choices affect the availability of waste streams. For example, if consumers were to eat more healthy wholewheat bread, this would cause fewer waste streams than if everyone ate white bread. The demand for plant-based products affects the supply of by-products. This example shows that a holistic perspective is essential in achieving a more sustainable food system. Everything is interconnected.

Insight into those connections helps the government and business sector select solutions that contribute to increasing the sustainability of the food system as a whole. It is critical to look for synergy and avoid trade-offs.

Taking steps

Whether it is about animal welfare, environmental impact or farmer incomes: Wageningen University & Research experts feel there are still abundant steps to be taken towards a more sustainable way of keeping animals. They will continue their research in the coming years to inspire the livestock sector with innovative concepts for barns and animal feed.