Ecological livestock according to the environment

2006/02/01 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Abeltzaintza
• Ingurumena

(Photo: A. Galarraga)

Organic farming is a productive model aligned with the environment. This model adapts to the local environment, so it does not have the same characteristics in one place or another. But it is always based on the relationship and interaction of cattle with the soil.

Animals take food from the soil, while fertilizing and enriching the soil by excrement. The goal is to ensure soil fertility and preserve biodiversity.

Farmers observe not only the land but also water. One of the problems of intensive livestock farming is wastewater treatment. In the Basque Country, due to the type of soil and the abundance of rain, it is easy for deyections to contaminate groundwater. To avoid this, the amount of specimens that can occupy an area is well defined in organic farming.

The maximum number of cattle per hectare is two or a dozen sheep. This aims to ensure that animals have enough food and do not pollute the water. In addition to animal waste, chemical fertilizers also contaminate water, but in organic farming chemical fertilizers cannot be used.

Animal welfare, essential

Another fundamental aspect of organic farming is animal welfare. This means that the animal must meet physiological needs. On the one hand, each animal must have enough space, otherwise stress is generated. On the other hand, it is important to respect the nature of each species and enable their natural behavior. That is, if the animal is solitary, it has to be able to walk alone and that of living in group if it is gregarious.

In addition, the animal must be fed by physiological needs; if it is a fodder animal, it must eat fodder and if it is granívoro, the grain. And of course, you don't have to eat meat if you don't have to eat butcher. In another case, the food should not have leftovers of chemicals and, if possible, the farmer should produce on his land, thus closing the cycle. If you have to buy food or grain, it should be from organic farming.

Breeding native breeds in organic farming. These breeds are adapted to the environment and have fewer health problems than others.

X. Azkue

Health as a key

Since the goal is to obtain products without residues of chemicals, animals in organic livestock do not receive hormones, growth and appetite stimulants, or medicines. Vaccines can only be given in case of pest risk and so has been ordered by the government.

If the animals get sick, pharmacies are replaced by other therapies: homeopathy, aromatherapy and phytotherapy. Sara Lorda is responsible for the livestock production of the Organic Farming Association of Gipuzkoa Biolur, homeopathic veterinarian. According to him, animals raised in this model rarely get sick because they have all the conditions for good health. However, in case of illness and risk to the life of the animal, pharmacological treatment can be performed twice a year.

Otherwise, homeopathy and natural therapies give good results. For example, the animal itself uses phytotherapy spontaneously. By instinct he takes a plant that benefits him and is cured without veterinary intervention.

On the other hand, in organic farming native breeds grow, adapted to the area and with less health problems than others. In addition, livestock farmers try to respect the physiology of the animal; for example, calves and lambs are allowed to drink breast milk until they leave the breast, no synchronization of jealousy is allowed by unnatural methods, nor the transfer or genetic transformation of embryos.

The biggest veterinary problem is parasites, especially in sheep and goats. Parasites that affect the liver are typical, such as the hepatic fascist, and goats are greatly affected by a nematode, the stronero.

Other aspects such as energy consumption are taken care of in organic farming.

A. Galarraga

Sara Lorda indicates that to avoid parasites it is advisable to rotate the sections to cut the cycle of the parasite. In addition, it is preferable that animals do not graze early in the morning, since it is then when parasitic surfaces come out. As the sun gains strength, the parasites bury and then it is more difficult to infect the animal. But since animals remain outside as long as possible, it is not easy not to eat in the morning.

Marketing difficulties

With all these measures, the products obtained in organic livestock are of the highest quality. Farmers who choose this production model are satisfied with the results and satisfied with the good growth of livestock. But not everything is so good. This is because they have big problems in marketing their products.

It's hard to reach consumers, and even harder to compete with the label and make it clear to people what's the difference between them. In addition, it does not seem good that the production of label receives so many public subsidies and so few, considering that it produces high quality products.

Therefore, people engaged in organic farming demand greater institutional support both for marketing and for the separation and dissemination of products and, above all, for research. In fact, they consider it important to conduct research to improve and demonstrate that they have special characteristics.

No antibiotics

For some years antibiotics have been used in livestock farming, especially in intensive livestock farming. When animals accumulate in closed places, they are easy to create and even easier to spread, to avoid this they have been supplied with antibiotics with feed or water.

However, these antibiotics reach consumers through milk and meat. Consequently, resistance has appeared, that is, bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics that were previously effective.

(Photo: Archive)

Aware of this, it is currently more regulated when antibiotics can be given. However, traces of antibiotics are still detected in animal products.

In organic farming they take great care of this aspect, so they use other types of treatments, but above all, they try to prevent diseases.

However, the remains of antibiotics in animal products are not solely responsible for resistance. Don't forget that people often take antibiotics anyway, which increases the risk of bacteria becoming resistant.

Here and in the world

Organic farming in the Basque Country is relatively new. The first associations -- Biolur Nafarroa, Biolur Gipuzkoa and the Tomorrow Land Association of Iparralde -- were born in the early 1990s. Since then there are more and more producers, but in recent years the growth has slowed, especially in Navarra.

(Photo: Archive)

However, in the Basque Country there are few producers compared to other European countries. In the world, the biggest producers are Australia and then Argentina, but in proportion Europe is the country that uses the most land for ecological production. Europe, led by Italy, is followed by Austria and the Netherlands, where 11% of agricultural land is used for ecological production and 10% in the Netherlands.

In recent years ecological production has grown mainly in France, Spain and Great Britain. In the case of the State, for example, in 2002 the area devoted to ecological production increased by 37% compared to the previous year.