Animal welfare
This theme deals with the interaction between animals and their environments, and with the impact this has on animals. Keeping livestock has ethical challenges, for example animal welfare, or the ethical issues of exploiting animals for our own benefit.
Traditionally, livestock welfare focused on negative aspects, those aspects unpleasant for animals. Recently, a novel approach looks into animal emotions and positive welfare aspects. The use of sensors and advanced statistical tools help to identify and design farming practices that improve animal welfare.
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Research themes
Governance and Livelihood
We research governance and livelihoods in sustainable food systems, exploring how policy incentives, certification schemes, and value chains shape transitions towards more just and sustainable livestock farming systems across diverse agricultural contexts
Environmental impacts and Biodiversity
We explore the relationships between livestock farming systems, biodiversity, ecosystems services, and economic outcomes and rewards. We study how livestock contributes to environmental issues, and how to mitigate their impact at various levels, including the farm, the value chain, the region, and the food systems level
Animal welfare
We explore ways to improve the lives of all types of farmed animals. We place particular emphasis on assessing and improving animal welfare by using smart technology and behavioral and health indicators that reflect the emotional state of the animals
Animal Production Systems
Research of Animal Production Systems, led by Simon Oosting, focuses on unravelling the complexity of livestock systems.
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