Part of this project is funded by the EU
Biosecurity
Innovating preventive management including biosecurity : Will quantify the main factors associated with prevention of disease spread on farms through housing or management and establish performance indicators to assess them
Improving animal resilience
The overall objective of this WP is to increase the resilience of pigs and poultry against disease challenges in modern intensive husbandry systems and by doing so reduce antimicrobial input .
Will study ways to improve the ability of animals to withstand or deal with pathogen challenges through welfare improvements which reduce stress or through nutritional measures improvement to the balance of gut microbiota through TCM or probiotics
Rapid detection of disease
Develop, validate, and deploy an automated behaviour and live weight analysis system that enables trait-specific monitoring for early detection of both generic health challenges and specific diseases . Early detection investigates ways of applying Precision Livestock Farming techniques to develop tools for early detection of health problems, both generic and specific, such as digestive and respiratory diseases. It is structured into three tasks that study how automated monitoring with a variety of sensors identifies individuals or groups in need of treatment
Targeted use & alternative medication
WP4 Targeted use of medication & alternative solutions reduces the need for antimicrobials by targeting individuals or sub-flocks for medication and by use of non-conventional alternatives
Validation of potential solutions
The overall objective of this WP5 is to identify the most promising technical and management practices to reduce the need for antimicrobials, on the basis of practical feasibility, societal acceptance and economic viability.
This WP will investigate the relative merits of the findings in WPs 1-4 in two parallel processes: the management related activities regarding Health & Welfare plans of WP1, and the Technical Solutions investigated in WPs 2-4
Dissemination and Exploitation
The overall objective of WP6 is to provide stakeholders with tools to improve health & welfare and reduce antimicrobial usage in broiler and pig farming.
This WP will consist of 7 Tasks, starting with the creation of a Dissemination plan, followed by 6 stakeholder-oriented communication activities
Project Coordination
Project Management : The overall objectives of this WP are to achieve the aims of the project in time, within the available budget and to the highest possible standard
European Partners
EU partners in the HealthyLivestock consortium are based in 8 different countries. Research Institutes, companies and a professional organisation work together in front line research. After validation, research results will be communicated through a broad network of stakeholders: high level decision makers as well as people working with pigs and poultry on a daily basis
Consortium Leaders
HealthyLivestock is coordinated by Dr Hans Spoolder from the Wageningen University (NL).
The consortium is led by the EU-China core team consisting of
Dr GONG Xifeng (IQSTAP)
Prof YANG Shuming (IQSTAP)
AYOSHI (CAPIAC)
Dr Hans SPOOLDER (WU)
Prof Bas KEMP (WUR)
Jan VAARTEN, DVM (FVE)
Scientific Advisory Board
The HealthyLivestock project will be supported by a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), consisting of five independent advisers. The SAB provides an external scientific point of view on how to execute the project and provide the best outcomes to the Chinese and European societies. It will advise the General Assembly of the project on where and how the most promising results should be exploited or presented. The advisers have different theoretical and practical back grounds, and are based in different parts of the world
Upcoming Conference
2020-2021-2022
The 2020 meeting will be in Europe . In 2021 we will be in China and the Final Meeting in 2022 will be in Europe again.
China
ANIMAL – AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BIOSCIENCE
animal is a monthly international journal of animal bioscience published in collaboration with the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS), the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)
The Pig Site: No solution to antimicrobial resistance without addressing farm animal welfare
Leading experts have agreed that there is no solution to the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis without tackling poor animal welfare on farms.
Piglet behaviour better when enrichment used for sows
Environmental enrichment at the end of the gestation period for sows has been seen to influence the offspring’s behaviour, improving their welfare.
An investigation into the effectiveness of compressed straw blocks in reducing abnormal behaviour in growing pigs (Animal-The International Journal of Animal Biosciences)
The provision of manipulable material to pigs is a legal requirement to ensure their good welfare