Policy task
Closing the gap between the livestock industry and public concerns on items including food safety, environmental burdening, animal welfare and health is the major policy task to which this programme contributes. Policy aims support sustainable development of the livestock industry with increasing emphasis on innovation and entrepeneurschip. Central in this policy is the increased responsabilty of the sector and society and a more remote -facilitating- role for the the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality: from government to governance .
In addition to this more general policy background, questions in parliament, the agreement on improved labour conditions and policy report on animal welfare give more detailed policy background of some individual projects.
Knowledge need
Closing the gap between livestock industry and society demands systems change. This applies as well as to the shift from government to governance . Essentially new combinations of man, ideas and actions are required. In research projects visions and examples as learning objects of possible new systems are elicited. Involvement and interactivity with stakeholders in these projects and process architecture is crucial. Basically a constructivist approach of science is needed. Common to all projects is that initiatives and self organising capabilities of involved parties give direction tot the projects. This within the requrement of societal orientation of the projects and alignment of public and private goals.
Knowledge task:
The projects carried out, in progress and in preparation in the programma can be grouped according to their main focus:
1. Interactive design of societal acceptable housing and management systems for livestock. For laying hens, broilers, fattening pigs and dairy cows housing and management systems have been or are designed together with a wide variety of stakeholders including citizens, consumers and sometimes- school children. Based on these ideas examples of these farming systems are introduced into pracice by private farmers.
2. Governance. New contracts or forms of cooperation are developed between the government and livestock industry. This includes new division of responsablities between farmers organisations and government in monitoring of animal health, new concepts of policy instruments to enhance governance.
3. New contacts between livestock industry and society. Increasingly the ideas and perception of society on the livestock industry are accepted for product development in the livestock industry. Projects aim to intensify these contacts by eliciting local projects with close contacts between farmers and consumers.
Publications of this programme are available Here |
