Livestock farming has changed considerably in the last 40/50 years. The agricultural prices are determined by the stock markets, and so agriculture is increasingly sliding into an industrial mindset and conduct. As a result, it is losing its connection to the environment and to its own self. How can a farm with 1 million laying hens still be organic? The intensification of livestock farming and the larger numbers of livestock places an ever-increasing burden on the soils because of fertilizers and the spreading of liquid manure. The overburdening of the soils with poorly treated manure, liquid manure or sewage sludge causes diseases in animals that are forced to graze on these surfaces, and sick animals also pose a considerably higher risk of infection for humans. And yet, in Europe it is quite possible to lead a good life as a farmer, no matter the size of the facility. How, then, does an agriculture that is profitable but does not harm the environment, animals or humans, look like?
Dr. med. vet. Nicole Herout, Centre for Holistic Veterinary Medicine, Lichtenberg, Austria
at the 20th International “New Scientific Outlook“ World Congress, Ulm, Germany, 29.10. – 01.11.2015
Language: German / Subtitles: English