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Context and challenges

Most animal production systems are increasingly being called into question because they are focused on increasing the performance of production factors and do not give priority to preserving the health and welfare of animals. The transition from a vision in which health and welfare were considered marginal in the farming system, to one in which they become a priority in the design of farming systems, involves rethinking the place of animals in the production system and changing practices. However, this evolution is based on the search for a compromise between the various aspects of livestock production systems (in particular animal housing, feeding and reproduction), respect for the environment, the farmer's work and the profitability of farms. In other words, understanding the potential interactions (antagonisms and synergies) between these elements is necessary for the design of livestock systems, and therefore for the agro-ecological transition towards more sustainable livestock farming practices and commodity chain organisations.

Objectives

Trade-offs have always been at the heart of decision-making in animal production systems. Within the framework of this network, we are particularly interested in the effects of the emergence of health and welfare as factors to be taken into account as a priority in decision-making for the establishment of a compromise for the design of a production system. Three levels of questioning are considered:

1. lexical and semantic analysis (definition of concepts and terms, and their meaning)
2. the construction of health and welfare parameters at animal and herd level
3. the dynamic evolution of previous compromises towards new compromises integrating these health and welfare parameters.

Species concerned

Panoplie de disciplines pouvant s'impliquer

This network draws on a wide range of skills:

1. Animal sciences, veterinary sciences and ethology to qualify and quantify health and well-being
2. Animal sciences and applied mathematics to construct and model indicators, link them to other aspects of the breeding system (feed, genetics, criteria for choosing culls, product quality, production outlets, etc.) and design breeding systems.
3. Economic and management sciences to model and analyse decision-making processes and collective strategies in territories and sectors, (iv) sociology to analyse the profile of players, their ability to construct this compromise and make it evolve, the implementation of collective standards (public policies or markets, etc.), and controversies in society and in research.

The units involved (2021) are :

Partnerships

• UMR HERBIVORES, Animal Physiology and Livestock Systems (PHASE) and  Food and the Environment (ECOSOCIO) Divisions
• UMR PEGASE, Animal Genetics (GA)  and  Animal Physiology and Livestock Systems (PHASE) Divisions
• UMR GENPHYSE, Animal Genetics (GA)  and  Animal Physiology and Livestock Systems (PHASE) Divisions
• UMR MoSAR, Animal Physiology and Livestock Systems (PHASE) Division
• UMRs SELMET et TERRITOIRE, Animal Physiology and Livestock Systems (PHASE) and Sciences for action and transition (ACT)  Divisions
• UMR BIOEPAR, Animal health (SA) Division
• UMR SMART-LERECO et CESEAR, Sciences for action and transition (ACT) and Food and the Environment (ECOSOCIO) Divisions
• UMT SESAM, Technical Institut IDELE.