Part 1 assesses current research on environmental impact, promoting animal health, enhancing naturalness and welfare. It also reviews how organic systems fit in with agroforestry, pastoralist and other smallholder farming systems. 

The second part of the book includes case studies from leading experts on current research in improving the farming of particular species. Chapters review challenges and opportunities in organic dairy and beef farming, sheep and goats, pigs and poultry. There are also chapters on organic aquaculture as well as organic and natural beekeeping.

With its distinguished editors and international team of expert authors, this will be a standard reference for all those researching organic animal farming as well as the organic livestock farmers, organic certification and regulatory bodies. 

Key features:

• Reviews key challenges and solutions in improving the health and welfare of organic farm animals
• Addresses how organic livestock farming can build on smallholder systems such as pastoralism and agroforestry
• Includes case studies on improving organic farming of dairy and beef cattle, sheep and goats, pig and poultry

“Organic livestock production has come a long way since any major, comprehensive summary of it was last published so this book is hugely welcome. The cast of editors and authors, all leaders in their field, makes the book a reliable reference work for years to come.” 

Dr Malla Hovi, Veterinary Epidemiologist, Consultant, Preventable Surprises.

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Author info:

Edited by:

Dr Mette Vaarst, Senior Researcher in the Department of Animal Science at Aarhus University, and in the International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (ICROFS), Denmark. She has published widely on organic animal farming and coordinated a number of major European research projects in this area.

Dr Stephen Roderick manages research and development projects in organic and sustainable farming at Duchy College’s Rural Business School in the UK. He has published widely in animal health and farm resource management. 

See also: Improving organic crop cultivation

In the same series, you find a new publication, which reviews ways of addressing the challenges organic crop cultivation, from developing better varieties to ways of improving crop nutrition and pest control.

Key features:

• Reviews key advances and best practice in cultivation techniques across the value chain of organic farming
• Discusses ways of monitoring and improving the environmental impact of organic crop production
• Particular focus on ways of supporting organic farming in the developing world