Human-animal relationship: stockmanship and housing in organic livestock systems

The farmer and the animal: a double mirror X. Boivin*, B. J. Lensink and I. Veissier 5 Qualitative welfare assessment: reading the behavioural expressions of pigs F. Wemelsfelder 14 The effect of the operational environment and operating protocols on the attitudes and behaviour of employed stockpersons M. F. Seabrook 21 Daily practice and dialogue-aspects of stockmanship and inter-human relations between farmers and their partners M. Vaarst 31 Strategies to improve animal welfare through "good" stockmanship 38 Improvement of human-animal relationship needs a reliable measurement tool for animal welfare E. Ofner, B. Amon, Th. Amon & J. Boxberger 43 The behaviour of farm animals and its significance for housing design L. Schrader 52 Understanding the cow-the central role of human-animal relationship in keeping horned dairy cows in loose housing S. Waiblinger, T. Baars, C. Menke 62 The role of management and housing in the prevention of feather pecking in laying hens M.W.P. Bestman 77 Scientific principles and practical examples of species-specific husbandry M. Organic productions with " other " animals A. Martini 140 Improving welfare in organic dairy cattle Introduction Network for Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture (NAHWOA) is a Concerted Action Project funded by the European Commission. The main aim of the project is to provide a joint platform for research organisations and institutions involved in organic livestock production, to enable sharing of information and ideas along with development of new research priorities, and to analyse the conventional research methodologies and their suitability to organic livestock research. It is hoped that the project will create a forum for an ongoing discussion on animal health and welfare and their interrelationship within the framework of organic livestock production, in order to contribute to the development of organic regulations. The Network has 17 member organisations from 13 European countries. The four thematic workshops planned for the years 2000–2001 are an important part of the project. The second one of these – and the 3 rd NAHWOA Workshop – was held at the Ecole National d'Ingénieurs des Travaux Agricoles (ENITA) in Clermont-Ferrand, France, on 21-24 October, 2000. Some 60 delegates, from 13 European countries and from the USA participated in the proceedings, working groups and field visits. Facilities at ENITA provided a relaxed and practical backdrop for the Proceedings, and the beautiful autumn landscapes made the fiels visits greatly enjoyable. The theme of the 3 rd NAHWOA Workshop was " Human-animal relationship: …