International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and were
further implemented by EU regulation 2092/91
in the year 2000. The consequences of these
rules for the health of the animals were not
yet fully anticipated at the time these
regulations were made and it has become
clear that in some cases the rules are not
clear enough, thereby even hampering the
development of the production system. In this
review we shall discuss the implications of
these rules for animal health, whereby we
shall focus on pig, poultry and dairy
production systems. Disease prevention in
organic farming is based on the principles
that an animal that is allowed to exhibit
natural behaviour is not subject to stress, is
fed optimal (organic) feed, and will have a
higher ability to cope with infections than
animals reared in a conventional way. Fewer
medical treatments would thus be necessary
and if an animal would become diseased,
alternative treatments instead of conventional
drugs should be preferred. Although
homeopathy or phytotherapy are
recommended according to prevailing
regulations, not many organic farmers use this
treatment regimen because of lack of
scientific evidence of effectiveness. Important
health problems in organic livestock farming
are often related to the outdoor access area,
exposing the animals to various viral, bacterial
and parasitic infections some of which may
only influence the animals' own welfare
whereas other ones may also endanger the
health of conventional livestock (e.g. Avian
Influenza) or pose a food safety
( Campylobacter, Toxoplasma) problem to the
consumer. Many preventive measures can be
taken, such as using better animal breeds,
optimized rearing conditions, pre- and
probiotics, and addition of acids to the
drinking water. In case of infectious disease,
tight vaccination schedules may prevent
serious outbreaks.
Additional keywords
organic production; homeopathy; infectious
disease.

Source; science direct