Working together to upscale cow-calf-contact in dairy production and beyond

The project "TransformDairyNet" aims to promote animal-friendly calf rearing systems in dairy farming. Instead of separating calves from their mothers shortly after birth, as is usually the case in dairy production, the project promotes rearing systems in which calves are allowed to stay with their mothers for months. Cow-calf contact (CCC) has the potential to significantly improve animal welfare and health.

The project involves 26 partners across Europe, including farmers, researchers, and industry experts. It will establish 11 national hubs to share knowledge about CCC practices, develop innovative solutions to CCC challenges as well as practical guides for farmers, and create a network for exchanging information on sustainable dairy farming. 

By 2027, "TransformDairyNet" aims to increase the adoption of CCC systems in European dairy farms, towards a more ethical and sustainable dairy production.

The interconnected specific objectives of "TransformDairyNet" are:

1. To accelerate the uptake of CCC systems at scale by mobilizing a European multi-stakeholder knowledge and innovation network that addresses the most pressing farmer needs and knowledge gaps in CCC systems by fostering cross-fertilization of ideas for farmers and support actors at different stages of transformation across Europe.
2. To modernise the sector by bringing together science and practice in the co-generation and sharing of existing CCC knowledge and ready-made innovations for the dissemination of a comprehensive, validated set of CCC best practices across the European dairy community.
3. To accelerate dairy innovation through a "Living Lab" process in "National Innovation Practice Hubs" mobilized by "National Network Facilitators" to address farmers' needs, challenges and opportunities by facilitating the generation of new ideas and funding projects to test and pilot innovations on and off-farm, including a dedicated "Living Lab" focused on developing novel sustainability metrics, mitigation and adaptation measures for a pathway to net-zero in CCC dairy systems.
4. To achieve greater impact by digitising and sharing "TransformDairyNet" practical CCC knowledge through the co-creation of harmonised farmer-oriented tools and materials to accelerate the adoption of CCC systems through a comprehensive communication, dissemination and exploitation plan, leveraging validated dairy farmer channels and networks at regional, national and pan-European levels.
5. To build capacity, sustain and maximize the impact of "TransformDairyNet" for further acceleration of CCC systems at scale across Europe, working with EU FarmBook as the European knowledge repository for farmers and other support actors, and establishing a mechanism for co-creation and sharing of CCC knowledge ready for future practice.

• European Commission

• European Commission, Horizon 2020

• University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin (UCD), Ireland
• Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), Belgium
• Institutul de Cercetare - Dezvoltare pentru Cresterea Bovinelor (ICDCB), Romania
• Phylum, France
• Vier Pfoten International – Gemeinnützige Privatstiftung, Austria
• Veterinærinstituttet (VI), Norway
• Università degli Studi della Basilicata (UNIBAS), Italy
• Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Ländliche Räume, Wald und Fischerei (TI), Germany
• Eesti Maaülikool (EMU), Estonia
• Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien (Vetmeduni Vienna), Austria
• Aarhus Universitet (AU), Denmark
• Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos (DIMITRA), Greece
• Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU), Norway
• Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU), Sweden
• TINE BA, Norway
• European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders (EFFAB), Netherlands
• Associazione Nazionale Allevatori della Razza Frisona, Bruna e Jersey Italiana (ANAFIBJ), Italy
• Innovationscenter for Økologisk Landbrug P/S (ICOEL), Denmark
• Associazione Nazionale Allevatori della Specie Bufalina (ANASB), Italy
• Schweisfurth Stiftung, Germany
• Eesti Mahepõllumajanduse Sihtasutus (EMSA), Estonia
• Verein zur Förderung des biologischen Landbaus (BIO AUSTRIA), Austria
• Revolve Planet (REVOLVE), Belgium
• Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (Uni Bonn), Germany
• Royal Agricultural University (RAU), United Kingdom
• Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), United Kingdom
• Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), France

• Constancis Caroline (FiBL France)

Project partner

FiBL France is participating in this project as a national expert on the rearing of calves by foster cows and has the task of organising, supporting and moderating workshops for the exchange in France and the French-speaking countries of Europe, as well as monitoring and analysing the practices tested on the farms and in the value chain. 6 French-speaking workshops over the course of 3 years (2025-2027).

• cordis.europa.eu: Project on the CORDIS website

• FiBL France