RObust Animals in sustainable Mixed FREE-range systems

The ROAM-FREE project aims: to investigate how mixed free-range production systems can improve animal robustness, environmental and economic sustainability and biodiversity in organic pig farming, to support a wider adoption of organic farming across Europe; by involving partners from Norway, Denmark, Romania, Italy and Slovenia, the diversity in climate, diseases present as well as local traditions and different economic framework will be covered; to evaluate involved farms in terms of animal health, welfare, productivity, feed-sufficiency, biodiversity, economy, and environmental impact; to develop preventive strategies, including use of bioactive crops or trees, in order to provide health benefit to the animals, reducing parasitic load and enhancing immunity to develop and discuss innovative mixed farming concepts with pig producers at meetings and trainings session, facilitating a wider adoption of mixed farming strategies in organic pig production. We expect that ROAM-FREE will expose benefits and challenges in a variety of mixed systems and form the basis for knowledge-based practical guidelines to improve existing mixed systems