Organic Livestock Farming

ORGANIC LIVESTOCK FARMING IN INDIA

Team Pashudhan Praharee

August 8, 2022

2420

ORGANIC LIVESTOCK FARMING IN INDIA

Dr.Pankaj Kumar

M.V.Sc. scholar

Department of Veterinary Physiology

College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Bikaner, RAJUVAS

INTRODUCTION

According to FAO/WHO, “Organic farming is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity”.

What is Organic Livestock Production:

Organic livestock production means the production of animal source foods with biological and natural principles and by giving more importance to the welfare of the livestock.
It is a system of animal food production that involves various principles aimed at the welfare of livestock, keeping in view the resources and the environmental interactions for a sustainable and inclusive way of development, and at the same time results in products that do not contain unwanted chemical residues.
In organic farming phytotherapeutic or homoeopathic medicines are used as a first line of treatment and conventional veterinary medicines are used only when the alternative treatments are not effective.
Preventive use of chemically synthesized pharmaceuticals and antibiotics is not allowed in organic farming.
The use of hormones, coccidiostats and other growth or production stimulants is not allowed either.

Note: World leaders in organic food production and utilization:- The European Union, USA, UK and Australia.

Need for Organic Farming:

With the increase in population, our compulsion would be not only to stabilize agricultural production but to increase it further in a sustainable manner. The scientists have realized that the Green Revolution with high input use has reached a plateau and is now sustained with diminishing return of falling dividends. Thus, a natural balance needs to be maintained at all costs for the existence of life and property. The obvious choice for that would be more relevant in the present era when these agrochemicals which are produced from fossil fuels and are not renewable and are diminishing in availability. It may also cost heavily on our foreign exchange in future.

Key characteristics of organic farming:

Protecting the long-term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention.
Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the action of soil microorganisms.
Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures.
Weed, disease and pest control relies primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention.
The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing.
Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats.

How to accomplish Organic Farming:

This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system.
Organic production is carried out under an extensive regulatory setup because organic products are sold as value-added products with certified organic labelling in developed countries.
Production is strictly monitored at every step of the production chain. Certification also ensures that the consumer knows from where the product is coming.
Organic production uses traditional tillage systems, crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, off-farm organic wastes, mineral-bearing rocks, and biological pest and weed control to maintain soil productivity.
Thus, an organic farm should be a self-contained system of production with minimal dependence on external inputs.
Those farms having dairy as one of the active components will have to convert to organic livestock management so that manures supplied are as per requirements for organic production.
Dairy products can also be certified organic to fetch higher prices.

Scope of Organic Farming:

The worldwide organic food industry is growing at a phenomenal rate of around 10 to 20% per year.
Organic farming is a highly labour-intensive enterprise. Therefore, it offers greater opportunities for rural employment.

Objectives of Organic Livestock Production:

To develop a balance between the biotic(organic) and abiotic (inorganic) factors of the ecosystem.
Evolving a sustainable production system where all the natural elements are considered.
Developing a good interaction of biological cycles.
To produce food of high quality.
To preserve the native breeds.
Conservation of the local genetic resources.
To produce food with fewer residues.
To use naturally available and renewable resources.
To encourage and enhance biological cycles within the farming system, animals involve microorganisms, soil flora and fauna, and plants.
To preserve the fertility of soils.
To create a balance between crop production and animal husbandry.
To allow the livestock to have natural conditions as far as possible allowing them to exhibit their species-specific behaviour.
To dispose of the farm waste in a non-polluting way.
To produce fully biodegradable organic products.
To improve the quality of life of people and livestock.

System of Farming:

The yields of Organic Livestock production are generally lower than the conventional production systems.

System	Organic System	Conventional System
Area	More	Less
Grazing	Yes	Optional
Outdoor Access	Must	Optional
Bedding	Obligatory	Not obligatory
Use of Antibiotics	Restricted	Not restricted
Use of Artificial Reproduction	Practised	Practised
Cloning and Embryo Transfer	Banned	Not Banned
Fertilizers	Not used	Used
Pesticides	Not used	Used
Organic Fertilizers	Obligatory	Optional
Herbicides	Replaced by Management	Used
Food residues	Less	More

Considerations for Organic Livestock Production

Livestock and Livestock products: Organic livestock and organic products must be produced from livestock that is reared or managed by following organic principles at least from the last third of gestation.

Access to outside:

Animals are not tied and are having free access to the outside and should be provided with facilities to express the species-specific behaviours.

Livestock should have access to pasture and free movement for grazing.

Feed: Livestock that are produced under organic management must have their total ration that is comprised of agricultural products including pasture, forage, and crops that are organically produced and handled organically.

There are certain non-synthetic and synthetic substances that can be used as feed additives and supplements.

Dairy cattle under 9 months of age are allowed 20% of their feed come from non-organic sources.

Plastic pellets, urea, manure, mammalian or poultry slaughter by-products are not allowed.

Health care aspects under organic production are:-

Following the principle “prevention is better than cure”. The organic producers select the local breeds which are suitable to the particular environment.

Providing a suitable free environment to reduce stress and discomfort.

Providing adequate feed.
Not practising preventative antibiotic therapy.
Administration of hormones or other drugs for growth promotion is prohibited under the organic concept.

Importance of records and their maintenance:

To verify the organic status of animals, production, harvesting, and handling practices associated with the organic products and animals are maintained.
Records are mandated to be maintained for 5 years and must demonstrate compliance with the Organic Food.

Quality Control Standards

In order to assure the consumer that a product is produced organically, a kind of quality control is needed. Organic quality is based on standards, inspection, certification and accreditation. All organic food is produced and handled according to strict rules called ‘organic standards’.

IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement) basic standards: IFOAM started in 1970, which now has more than 750 member organisations in over 100 countries, took the lead in setting standards for organic agriculture. Meanwhile, the FAO and WHO jointly brought out guidelines during 1999, known as Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines for production, processing, labelling and marketing of organically produced food.
National Standards for Organic Production (NSOP): In India, standards for organic agriculture were announced in May, 2001 and the National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) is administered by Agricultural and Processed food products Export Development Authority (APEDA) using the IFOAM basic standards under the Ministry of Commerce. It includes definite principles, basic standards of production, documentation, inspection and certification guidelines. The Government has set the frame conditions in which the organic sector of a country operator which include content and legal status of organic standards, the regulations concerning the use of organic claims and labels, the legislation on consumer protection and the accreditation system. As per the national accreditation policy, all certifying agencies operating in India are to obtain accreditation from any one of the accrediting agency appointed by the Government of India.
New Standards introduced in NPOP:

The NPOP standard was first notified in 2001 for exports of organic products covering standards only for crops and their processing, labelling, storage and transport.

Since, there is good demand for organic livestock, and aquaculture products, standards for these products have been introduced in the seventh edition of NPOP 2014-15. The revised NPOP was implemented in 2015-16.

In India, APEDA regulates the certification of organic products as per National Standards for Organic Production. The NSOP standards for production and accreditation system have been recognized by the European Commission and Switzerland as equivalent to their country standards. Similarly, USDA has recognized NPOP conformity assessment procedures of accreditation as equivalent to that of US.
With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited certification bodies of India are accepted by the importing countries.
Codex alimentarius guidelines:

In 1991, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint FAO / WHO food standards programme began developing guidelines for the production, processing, labelling and marketing of organically produced foods.

Organic Livestock Farming: According to the researchers point of view

There is potential for on-station and on-farm research in all the dimensions of organic livestock production viz. breeding, feeding, disease control, management, processing, marketing, socio-economic and ethical aspects, it being a virgin area as far as India is concerned.
The socio-economic investigations concerning the acceptance of organic livestock production and the economics of organic livestock farming may also be taken up by the social scientists engaged in the livestock sector.
The availability of organic feed and fodder among others may be one big limiting factor in initiating any research programme on organic livestock production since the experimental animals need to be fed at least 80% of the feed and fodder grown organically.
The comparative studies on conventional vs organic vs traditional animal husbandry along various dimensions need to be carried out. Alternatives to conventional treatment methods viz. plant-based products, homoeopathy, and other traditional practices need proper documentation and validation for their efficacy to be worth using under organic production systems.
The agrochemical and veterinary drugs use in different agro-climatic zones may be determined so as to identify the potential areas and species of livestock for organic livestock farming promotion.
The location-specific organic livestock production demonstration farms need to be established to generate awareness of organic animal husbandry practices. The ICAR institutes, SAUs and KVKs may be best suited for this purpose.

Conclusion:

Organic farming in India has grown at a steady pace after the implementation of NPOP in 2001 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Today India organic products have made their mark in the global market and are poised to reach new heights.
The major countries where organic products were exported were USA followed by European Union and Canada.
The other destinations of the export of organic products were Switzerland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East countries and ASIAN countries.

References: