Although the use of local breeds is recommended by organic regulations, breed comparisons performed under organic production conditions with similar production intensities are scarce. Therefore, the team compared data of local and widely used Holstein dairy cattle breeds from 2011 to 2015 regarding production, fertility and health from German and Swedish organic farms with similar management intensities within country. They conclude that future breed comparisons need to take into account differing production intensities within organic farming more closely in order to derive sound recommendations on suitable choice of breeds and thus meet the recommendations of the European organic regulations in this aspect.
The publication "Comparison of performance and fitness traits in German Angler, Swedish Red and Swedish Polled with Holstein dairy cattle breeds under organic production", named animal Article of the Month by the editor-in-chief, is freely available for one month (see link below).
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 and the Environment (INRAE). It publishes innovative science that relates to animals used for animal production, and that is relevant to whole animal outcomes and to animal management practices.
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