Practical Ways to Assess Sustainability

Agroscope has developed the foundation of a methodology for assessing the sustainability of Swiss farms. From summer 2016, a set of indicators will be tested on around ten farms. Sustainably managed farms form an important basis for healthy, fit-for-the-future food production.

The assessment of a farm’s sustainability is a vital step in its optimisation. Here, equal consideration must be given to the criteria concerning the three dimensions of environment, economy and society. Agroscope has developed appropriate indicators, and published these in May 2016 in the ‘Agroscope Science’ publication series.

These indicators are the foundation for enabling farmers, consumers and associations as well as interested actors and stakeholders from production, processing and trade to develop a comprehensive farm sustainability assessment. Particular attention is devoted by Agroscope to the social dimension. This field still lacks sufficient resilient and practical indicators that are tailor-made for Swiss farms.

Well-being concept for human well-being

Four project teams developed indicators for assessing social sustainability, with a focus on the three areas of human well-being, animal welfare, and landscape aesthetics. Here, it was shown that the Well-being Concept of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents a good basis for depicting the various aspects of human well-being. To this end, key questions allowing the relevant topics to be described simply and concisely were developed for each sub-aspect such as e.g. work/life balance, social relationships and subjective well-being.

Owing to the relevance of the topic for agriculture, a project team devoted itself to the calculation of temporal workload. On the basis of the ‘ART Work Budget’ software developed by Agroscope to calculate the expected working time, we derived an indicator by comparing the theoretically derived working-time input and the workforce available on the farm.

Point system for animal welfare

A further project team noted that using a simple indicator to assess animal welfare cannot cover all of the requirements. The researchers therefore propose a point system that manages without observations or measurements on the animal itself. In this system, points are awarded to measures with an anticipated positive impact on one of the twelve animal welfare aspects taken into account in the existing Welfare®-Quality Protocol measuring instrument, e.g. freedom of movement or the absence of pain. In order for points to be awarded, the anticipated animal welfare must go beyond the minimum stipulated in the Swiss Animal Protection Law. Follow-up projects will now aim to determine whether a correlation does in fact exist between the number of points awarded and the level of animal welfare.

Indicators for the economy and environment

Agroscope has also developed indicators for the economic and environmental dimensions; detailed information on these can be found in the relevant Agroscope publication of May 2016. The economic sustainability of a farm can be illustrated by two key figures in each of the following areas: profitability (earned income per family labour unit and total return on capital); liquidity (cashflow-turnover rate and dynamic gearing ratio), and stability (investment intensity and investment coverage). The environmental dimension of sustainability encompasses the components of resource efficiency, effects on climate, nutrients, and ecotoxicity, as well as biodiversity and soil quality.

Practicability, utility, acceptance

Practical testing of the indicator set is carried out in close cooperation with the involved farmers. The test determines the practicability, utility and acceptance of a sustainability assessment at farm level. In addition to the refinement of the indicator set, a scientific analysis of the results is planned. The project will be concluded with an in-depth report at the end of 2019. The results obtained are meant to contribute to the implementation of a practical solution for assessing sustainability on a large number of farms. The project is financially supported by the Migros Cooperative Association (MGB). IP-Suisse is actively involved in data acquisition.

Further information:

Project number: 22.06.17.04.01

Studies into the Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs

Project ID: 3789 Sending by e-mail

Head of Project

Deputy

Last Name, First Name	Location
Bérard Joël	Posieux
Gessenhardt Christopher	Tänikon
Keil Nina	Tänikon
Rufener Christina	Tänikon
Savary Pascal	Tänikon
Schönberger Diana	Tänikon
Stratmann Ariane	Posieux
Voigt Hanna	Tänikon
Vontobel Cornelia	Tänikon
Wechsler Beat	Tänikon

Berthel R., Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Dairy sheep and goats sort for particle size and protein in mixed rations.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 271, (106144), 2024, 1-12.

Voigt H., Ruckli A., Lutz B., Keil N., Scriba M., Zanolari P.
Aufzuchtsysteme, Gesundheit, Gammaglobulinstatus und Zunahmen von Mastlämmern und -zicklein von Schweizer Milchschaf- und Milchziegenbetrieben.
In: Tagungsband 3. 18. Januar, Publ. 12. Leipziger Tierärztekongress, Leipzig. 2024, 162-166.

Simmler M., Brouwers S.
triact package for R: Analyzing the lying behavior of cows from accelerometer data.
PeerJ, 12, 2024, 1-17.

Pullin A. N., Rufener C., Millman S. T., Tarlton J. F., Toscano M. J., Blatchford R. A., Makagon M. M.
Providing elevated structures in the pullet rearing environment affects behavior during initial acclimation to a layer aviary.
Poultry Science, 103, (3), 2024, 1-13.

Voigt H., Ruckli A., Lutz B., Keil N., Zanolari P., Scriba M. F.
Aufzuchtsysteme, Gammaglobulinstatus und Zunahmen von Mastlämmern von Schweizer Milchschaf- und Milchziegenbetrieben.
In: 55. Tagung Angewandte Ethologie bei Nutztieren der DVG. 30. November - 2. Dezember, Publ. DVG, Freiburg i. Br. (DE). 2023, 1-9.

Gessenhardt C., Steiner A., Rufener C.
Die Haltung von Kuh und Kalb: Klärung des Regelungsbedarfs bei der Mutterkuhhaltung und der muttergebundenen Kälberaufzucht.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2023. KTBL-Schrift 11537, Publ. KTBL, Darmstadt. 2023, 235-237.

Dumont L., Kirchhofer M., Steiner A., Rufener C.
The use of anti-sucking rings in cattle: Assessments at the slaughterhouse.
In: Annual Conference. 6 December, Publ. VPHI / ILS / EPI, Bern (CH). 2023, 1.

Brouwers S., Savary P.
Auswirkungen der Form von Liegeboxentrennbügeln auf das Aufsteh- und Abliegeverhalten von Milchkühen.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2023. 30. November, Publ. KTBL, Darmstadt. 2023, 162-170.

Savary P.
Standplatzabmessungen und Einstreuqualität in Anbindeställen.
In: Weiterbildungskurs für Baufachleute. 7. November, Grangeneuve. 2023, 1-25.
other Languages: french

Dumont L., Kirchhofer M., Steiner A., Rufener C.
Animal welfare relevance of anti-sucking rings: Assessments at the slaughterhouse.
In: VPHI Jahreskonferenz. 6 December, Bern. 2023, 1.

Ruckli A., Hörtenhuber S., Dippel S., Ferrari P., Gebska M., Guy J., Heinonen M., Helmerichs J., Hubbard C., Spooler H., Valros A., Winckler C., Leeb C.
Access to bedding and an outdoor run for growing-finishing pigs and their impact on the environment.
In: 74th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. 26 August - 1 September, Publ. EAAP, Lyon (FR). 2023, 988.

Schönberger D., Berthel R., Savary P., Bodmer M.
Analysis of dairy cow behavior during milking associated with lameness.
Dairy, 4, 2023, 554-570.

Nawroth C., Wiesmann K., Schlup P., Keil N., Langbein J.
Domestication and breeding objective did not shape the interpretation of physical and social cues in goats (Capra hircus).
Scientific Reports, 13, 2023.

Savary P., Christen M., Lutz B., Scriba M. F., Wechsler B.
Standplatzabmessungen und Einstreuqualität in Anbindeställen: Auswirkungen auf Gliedmassengesundheit, Sauberkeit und Verhalten von Milchkühen.
Agroscope Transfer, 491, 2023, 1-17.
other Languages: french

Brouwers S., Simmler M., Savary P., Scriba M.
Automatic detection of atypical head lunge movements of dairy cows in free-stall cubicles using accelerometers and machine learning.
In: 56th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. 3 August, Tallinn (EE). 2023, 141.

Rice M., Taylor P., Hemsworth P., Stratmann A., Toscano M.J.
The individual assessment of responses of laying hens to a human stimulus and a novel object in relation to piling behaviour.
In: 56th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology, book of Abstracts. 3 August, Tallinn (EE). 2023, 139.

Stratmann A., Rice M., Toscano M.J.
Piling characteristics of individual laying hens in small experimental flocks.
In: 56th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. 3 August, Tallinn (EE). 2023, 138.

Wechsler B.
Wissenschaft für Tierschutz in der Schweiz.
In: Michael Erhard Symposium „Tierschutz altert nicht - Wissenschaft für mehr Tierschutz“. 28. Juli, Publ. Lehrstuhl für Tierschutz, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Darmstadt. 2023, 7-16.

Gobbo Oiveira Erünlü N., Rieder S., Kuntzer T., Bérard J., Wellnitz O.
Effects of sensor ear tags with twin pin fixing system on health and well-being of cattle.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 165, (7/8), 2023, 512-523.

Ueda K., Heikkilä U., Kuntzer T., Gobbo Oliveira Erünlü N., Bérard J., Wellnitz O., Beglinger C., Rieder S.
Fernkontrolle von Rindern in der Schweiz mittels einer Sensorohrmarke.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, Agrarforschung Schweiz, (14), 2023, 104-115.

Berthel R., Deichelbohrer. A., Dohme-Meier F., Egli W., Keil N.
Validation of automatic monitoring of feeding behaviours in sheep and goats.
PLOS ONE, 18, (5), 2023, 1-19.

Vontobel C., Simmler M., Wechsler B., Scriba M.F.
Risk factors differ for viable and low viable crushed piglets in free farrowing pens.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, 2023.

Thomann B., Würbel H., Kuntzer T., Umstätter C., Wechsler B., Meylan M., Schüpbach-Regula G.
Development of a data-driven method for assessing health and welfare in the most common livestock species in Switzerland: The Smart Animal Health project.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, 2023.

Wechsler B.
Wege zur Prävention von Tierschutzverstössen in der Nutztierhaltung: Ein Blick in die Schweiz.
In: DVG-Tagungsbericht „Wo (kein) Kläger, da kein Richter - Wie gerecht ist Tierschutzrecht?“. 16. März, Publ. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft DVG, Verlag der DVG Service GmbH, München. 2023, 45-51.

Brouwers S., Simmler M., Savary P., Scriba-Janulis M.
Towards a novel method for detecting atypical lying down and standing up behaviors in dairy cows using accelerometers and machine learning.
Smart Agricultural Technology, 4, 2023, 1-11.

Schönberger D., Savary P., Bodmer M.
Zusammenhang zwischen Klauengesundheit und gesteigerter Aktivität während des Melkens als unterstützendes Merkmal zur Lahmheitserkennung bei Milchkühen.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2022. KTBL-Schrift 11530, Publ. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft (DVG), KTBL, Darmstatt. 2022, 270-272.

Brouwers S., Scriba-Janulis M., Savary P.
Assessment of lying down and standing up movements of dairy cows on pasture and in free-stall cubicles.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2022. KBTL Schrift 11530, Publ. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft DVG, Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e.V. (KTBL), Darmstatt. 2022, 242-244.

Schönberger D., Savary P., Bodmer M.
Zusammenhang zwischen Klauengesundheit und gesteigerte Aktivität während des Melkens als unterstützendes Merkmal zur Lahmheitserkennung bei Milchkühen.
In: 54. Internationale Tagung Angewandte Ethologie 2022. 24. November, Publ. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft, Freibur in Breisgau. 2022, 270-272.

Berthel R., Deichelbohrer, A, Egli, W, Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Automatisiertes Monitoring des Fressverhaltens von Milchschafen und -ziegen.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2022. KTBL-Schrift 11530, Publ. KTBL, Darmstadt. 2022, 190-196.

Berthel R., Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Feeding behaviour of sheep and goats on mixed rations varying in cutting lengths.
In: Proceedings of the 55th Congress of the ISAE. Publ. ISAE, 2022,150.

Berthel R., Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Particle and protein sorting in mixed rations by sheep and goats within two hours after feeding.
In: Proceedings of the 55th Congress of the ISAE. Publ. ISAE, 2022,149.

Rufener C., Lopez S., Holinger M.
Can straw or compost satisfy the rooting motivation of fattening pigs?
In: Proceedings of the 55th Congress of the ISAE. 4th-8th September, Ohrid (Nordmazedonien). 2022, 204.

Berthel R., Simmler M., Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Dairy sheep and goats prefer the single components over the mixed ration.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 2022, 1-12.

Lutz B., Christen M., Scriba-Janulis M., Rufener C., Savary P.
Auswirkungen von Standplatzabmessungen und Einstreu auf Gliedmaßengesundheit und Verhalten von Milchkühen in Anbindeställen.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2022. KTBL-Schrift 11530, Publ. KTBL, Darmstadt. 2022, 256-258.

Nanchen C., Savary P., Rufener C.
Melkbarkeit in muttergebundener Kälberaufzucht in Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Kontaktsystemen.
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2022. KTBL-Schrift 11530, Darmstadt. 2022, 101-110.

Rufener C., Lopez S., Holinger M.
Kann ein Stroh- oder Kompostwühlbereich die Wühlmotivation von Mastschweinen befriedigen?
In: Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemässen Tierhaltung 2022. KTBL-Schrift 11530, Darmstadt. 2022, 71-79.

Lutz B., Zwygart S., Thomann B., Stucki D., Burla J.-B.
The relationship between common data-based indicators and the welfare of Swiss dairy herds.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 2022, 1-10.

Rufener C., Jung L., Petow S.
A tagged visual analog scale is a reliable method to assess keel bone deviations in laying hens from radiographs.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 2022, 1-9.

Gygax L., Zeeland Y. R. A. , Rufener C.
Fully flexible analysis of behavioural sequences based on parametric survival models with frailties: A tutorial.
Ethology, 128, 2022, 183-196.

Gómez Y., Cockburn M., Hankele A. K., Gygax L., Zähner M., Hillmann E. , Savary P.
Effects of small milking stalls on stress responses in dairy cows during milking in group milking parlors.
Journal of Dairy Science, 105, (1), 2022, 609-622.

Berthel R., Purtschert L., Braillard M., Wiederkehr D. , Scheurer A., Keil N.
Agonistic behaviour of dairy goats and sheep during feeding – A pilot study on Swiss farms with mixed rations.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 164, (6), 2022, 457-467.

Gerster U., Sidler X., Wechsler B., Nathues H.
Prevalence of tail lesions in Swiss finishing pigs.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 164, (4), 2022, 339-349.

Bisang C., Rufener C., Steiner A., Wechsler B., Keil N.M.
Effects of the anti-sucking device «SuckStop Müller» on calf behavior.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 163, (4), 2022, 319-328.

Rosenberger K., Simmler M., Langbein, J., Nawroth, C., Keil N.
Responsiveness of domesticated goats towards various stressors following long-term cognitive test exposure.
PeerJ, online, (29 March), 2022, 1-25.

Berthel R., Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Fressverhalten von Milchschafen und -Ziegen bei ad libitum Fütterung mit Mischrationen.
In: 27. Internationale DVG-Fachtagung zum Thema Tierschutz. 23. März, Publ. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft e.V. (DVG), online. 2022, 77-84.

Nawroth C., Rosenberger K., Keil N., Langbein J.
Goats (Capra hircus) from different selection lines differ in their behavioural flexibility.
Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 2022, 1-7.

Berthel R., Dohme-Meier F., Keil N.
Fressverhalten von Milchschafen und -Ziegen bei ad libitum Fütterung mit Mischrationen.
In: 27. Internationale DVG-Fachtagung zum Thema Tierschutz. 23. März, Publ. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft e.V. (DVG), Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft e.V. (DVG) online. 2022, 77-84.