Sept 30, 2016: The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of the State of Brandenburg today commissioned ATB together with LVAT Großkreutz to develop the Animal Protection Plan for the State. In the coming 15 months, the two institutes will jointly work on the project.
The bidders' association constituted by ATB and Institute for Animal Breeding and Animal Husbandry (LVAT) Ruhlsdorf / Großkreutz e.V. were choosen as a result of a public tender procedure which had been issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of the State of Brandenburg. Both institutions have been cooperating for years in the field of animal welfare.
According to a parliament resolution, the animal welfare plan will include a livestock management program. It tagets the optimization of management and husbandry conditions, the establishment of demonstration farms, the abandonment of tail-docking and trimming of beaks, and the implementation of a medicines act to improve transparency and reduce antibiotic use. The recommendations will refer to the keeping of (young) hens, fattening poultry, turkeys, cattle, calves, fattening pigs, sows, piglets and horses.
A first step in the development oth the animal protection plan is the analysis of the current situation in Brandenburg and other federal states taking into account current and planned legislation and animal welfare plans at federal and EU level.
The scientists will, in particular, incorporate the international knowledge of animal welfare research and the present and future expectations of the society. These are controversially and emotionally discussed by producers and animal welfare associations and have to be taken into account in order to achieve a consensual design in the end. Therefore, the voluntary obligations of the livestock sector, the standards of ecological livestock management and the demands of the animal welfare organizations have to be equally considered in developing the concept. The plan is also intended to include cross-species recommendations for the introduction and implementation of operational self-monitoring systems on farm level, as well as recommendations for the education, training and training of livestock owners.
The preparation of the strategy paper by the end of 2017 is ambitious. Within the first four weeks, ATB and LVAT Großkreutz will identify and invite the actors to be involved. Five working groups on poultry, pigs, ruminants, horses and veterinary medicines / environmental effects need to built up and to take into account the interests between profession and social groups. An interim report is planned for the first half-year 2017.