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3. Housing: • Both NOP and EU-Regulation require appropriate housing, including freedom of movement and comfort behaviour, adequate bedding and temperature. Animals must have access to fresh air, direct sunlight, shade, and shelter. Stables must be kept clean, to prevent diseases and pests. Only those substances may be used for cleaning, disinfection and pest control in stables, which are mentioned in the National List (NOP) and in Annex II B and E (EU). • The EU-Regulation gives further details for stables and outdoor exercise areas, like e.g.: o Livestock must not be tethered o Livestock housing must have smooth, but not slippery floors. At least half (mammals) or one third (poultry) of the total floor area must be solid, that is, not of slatted or of grid construction o Calves must not be kept in individual boxes after the age of one week o Sows must be kept in groups, Piglets may not be kept on flat decks or in piglet cages o Poultry must be reared in open-range conditions and cannot be kept in cages o Water fowl must have access to a stream, pond or lake o A maximum number of animals per poultry house in established in Annex I (8.4.3) o Stocking densities are defined in detail in Annex VIII for different species. 4. Husbandry management practices: • EU-Regulation: o In principle, natural reproduction should be used. Artificial insemination is permitted. Other forms of artificial reproduction (for example embryo transfers) are prohibited. o Attaching elastic bands to the tails of sheep, tail-docking, cutting of teeth, trimming of beaks and dehorning must not be carried out systematically. Some of these operations may be allowed in exceptional cases, for reasons of safety or animal health. o Calf fattening conditions may not encourage anaemia o Minimum age at slaughter for poultry is defined in Annex I (6.1.9) o Animals must be transported, loaded and unloaded in a way, which minimizes stress. Allopathic tranquillisers or electrical animal driving devices are forbidden o Livestock and livestock products must be identified. 5. Origin of
animals and conversion period: • Hardy, locally adapted breeds must be chosen • Animals must be purchased from organic operations and be managed according to organic standards from birth, with some exceptions. Livestock or livestock products can be sold as organic, in case of organic management during at least:
Attention: In case of the EU-Regulation, purchase of conventional animals is limited by several further restrictions. Please contact CERES for further details! • During the conversion period, livestock products must be sold as conventional! 6. Veterinary treatments: • Diseases and pests must be prevented through selection of hardy breeds, adequate feeding, housing, sanitary conditions, and vaccines • In case that animals, in spite of prevention, fall ill, they must be treated; preference is to be given to natural or homeopathic treatments • In case of allopathic treatments, the waiting time has to be doubled in case of the EU-Regulation; under NOP, the animal has to undergo the conversion period (if possible; see 5) • Preventive use of allopathic medicine is forbidden. This refers especially to antibiotics, coccidiostatics or hormones used as growth promoters. 7. Records: • Before the first inspection takes place, the farm has to present an organic management plan to the certifier; this plan has to be updated annually • A stable diary must be kept, recording at least birth, purchase, sales, and death of animals, besides all veterinary treatments • Invoices for purchase of feed, veterinary medicine, animals, etc., must be filed • Harvested quantities must be recorded • The farm needs at least a simple system of bookkeeping for sales of organic products. 8. Knowledge: • The farmer has to keep a copy of the respective standards and has to study them • The farmer needs adequate knowledge on organic husbandry rules and technologies.
Please be aware that this is only a selection of essential requirements of the organic standards, meant as an introduction. The operator, of course, has to learn about and meet all requirements of the respective standard. Especially the EU-Regulation includes many more details concerning feed, housing, conversion, etc .
Standard Inspection Program for Organic Animal Husbandry
according to the European Regulation (EEC) 2092/91, the
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No |
Issue |
Text |
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1 |
Review |
of the organic management plan and its implementation. |
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2 |
Physical inspection |
Visit to all stables, pastures, outdoor exercise areas for animals, addressing: • Origin of livestock • Animal health and welfare • Adequate space, freedom of movement, bedding, ventilation, shade, shelter, etc. for the animals • Possibility to exercise comfort and social behaviour • Feeding and water availability and quality • Sanitation • Veterinary medicine • Identification of animals • Manure and urine storage |
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Visit to storage rooms, on farm processing units, and other farm buildings, addressing: • Origin of feedingstuffs, conformity of additives • Labelling, traceability • Post harvest separation from non-certified products • Postharvest sources of pollution. |
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3 |
Records |
• Maps or drawings of all plots, including farm buildings • Invoices for purchase of animals, feedingstuffs, veterinary medicine and other relevant inputs • Stable book, origin of livestock • Records on daily production • Storage book and/or processing and/or packing protocol (if relevant) • Book keeping on all sales of husbandry products. |
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See also |
• Brief information on organic animal husbandry • Management plan animal husbandry |
Please be aware, that these are the minimum requirements. In many cases, additional issues will have to be included in the inspection schedule!
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