FARMERS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR HERD HEALTH DEVELOPMENT – STABLE SCHOOLS AS A TOOL FOR DAIRY HEALTH AND WELFARE PLANNING IN EUROPE

Achieving and maintaining a high herd health and welfare status is an important aim in organic livestock farming.The different conditions between countries call for models that are relevant for different farming types that can be integrated into local practice. In stable schools, farmers take responsibility for health and welfare planning by identifying issues, setting goals and acting to improve the health situation based on farm-specific data e.g. milk production. This paper reviews the results from intervention studies that used the FFS approach for animal health and welfare planning, providing an overview of on-going activities and their implementation into advisory situations in selected European countries. Research studies with stable schools as an intervention tool showed improvements regarding the specific project aim on the majority of the participating farms. Farmers and facilitators were convinced of the approach and benefits for dairy herds. Farmers’ attitude and attention towards theirs herds and their ownership of the process appear to be crucial success factors for herd health and welfare situations. In some European countries this method has been implemented in advisory practice and in other regions there are promising opportunities