Farm animal are an important an integrated part of most organic farms. They make valuable contributions to the productivity and sustainability of organic agricultural systems. In addition to this strong economic bond between humans and animals in organic farming, there also is a moral (and sometimes emotional) bond to animals as sentient and fellow beings on this planet. This imposes a responsibility on humans for the welfare of farm animals. However, the development of organic animal husbandry has been slower than the organic plant production. There are several reasons for this, historical and philosophical as well as the fact that research on animal production often is more expensive and difficult to carry out compared to crop research. However, organic animal research has increased considerably in several European countries lately and resulting from this, improved efficiency and productivity can be expected in organic animal production, as well as better animal welfare.

There is a big interest in organic farming in Europe, both among politicians, consumers and farmers. Organic agriculture is subsidized by the EU, and the Commission is currently working on an Action Plan for organic food and agriculture. Animals are an important part of most organic farms and research to develop better organic systems is now performed in many European countries. Thus we can expect organic animal production to increase during the years to come. At the same time there are challenges and dilemmas that the organic movement and organic farmers must face and solve to improve animal production and to maintain credibility and trust among consumers, for example in relation to animal welfare.

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