Category FAQs Search : Organic Livestock Farming
Question: Organic livestock production: an emerging opportunity with new challenges for producers in tropical countries
Answer: Agrochemicals, veterinary drugs, antibiotics and improved feeds can increase the food supply while minimising production costs in various livestock
production systems around the world. However, these days, quality-conscious consumers are increasingly seeking environmentally safe, chemical-residuefree
healthy foods, along with product traceability and a high standard of animal welfare, which organic production methods are said to ensure. Organic
production is not only a challenge for producers in developing countries, it offers new export opportunities as well.
Organic agriculture is practised by 1.8 million producers in 160 countries, and production of organically grown food continues to increase steadily by 15% per year.
Most tropical countries are now exporting organic agricultural products but, apart from organic beef from Brazil and Argentina, organic livestock
products are yet to take off. Most trade in organic livestock products is restricted to the European Union and other developed nations. Nevertheless, tropical
countries cannot afford to neglect this emerging system of animal production. Organic production is knowledge- and management-intensive. Producers must
be well versed in organic production standards, principles and practices, which require a high degree of knowledge and skill. In organic production, it is not
simply the final product but the whole production process that must be inspected and approved by the accredited certification bodies. Organic livestock farming is
still evolving, and further research is needed to make it sustainable. In this paper, the authors review the prospects of organic animal husbandry and its possible
constraints in developing and tropical countries.
(Source: Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, 11 Aug 2021)
Source Link: https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/24248/7/24248.pdf