Search

In free-range and organic production systems, hens can make choices according to their needs and desires, which is in accordance with welfare definitions. Nonetheless, health and behavioral problems are also encountered in these systems. The aim of this article was to identify welfare challenges observed in these production systems in the EU and the most promising solutions to overcome these challenges. It is based on a review of published literature and research projects complemented by interviews with experts. We selected EU specific information for welfare problems, however, the selected literature regarding solutions is global. Free range use may increase the risk of infection by some bacteria, viruses and parasites. Preventive methods include avoiding contamination thanks to biosecurity measures and strengthening animals' natural defenses against these diseases which can be based on nutritional means with new diet components such as insect-derived products, probiotics and prebiotics. Phytotherapy and aromatherapy can be used as preventive and curative medicine and vaccines as alternatives to antibiotics and pesticides. Bone quality in pullets and hens prevents keel deviations and is favored by exercise in the outdoor range. Free range use also lead to higher exposure to variable weather conditions and predators, therefore shadow, fences and guard animals can be used to prevent heat stress and predation respectively. Granting a free range provides opportunities for the expression of many behaviors and yet many hens usually stay close to the house. Providing the birds with trees, shelters or attractive plants can increase range use. Small flock sizes, early experiences of enrichment and personality traits have also been found to enhance range use. Severe feather pecking can occur in free range production systems, although flocks using the outdoor area have better plumage than indoors. While many prevention strategies are facilitated in free range systems, the

Although organic animal production is based on farming systems that enable a high degree of expression of natural behaviour by the animals, there are still some welfare challenges in such systems. Our study provides a state of the art of practices that could improve animal welfare in organic productions and interviews with key informants have been conducted to identify gaps and opportunities for animal welfare. This study provides a shortlist of practices that could be used to improve animal welfare while taking into account farmer wellbeing and sustainability and so contributing to “One Welfare”.

Although organic animal production is based on farming systems that enable a high degree of expression of natural behaviour by the animals, there are still some welfare challenges in such systems. Our study provides a state of the art of practices that could improve animal welfare in organic productions and interviews with key informants have been conducted to identify gaps and opportunities for animal welfare. This study provides a shortlist of practices that could be used to improve animal welfare while taking into account farmer wellbeing and sustainability and so contributing to “One Welfare”.

Although organic animal production is based on farming systems that enable a high degree of expression of natural behaviour by the animals, there are still some welfare challenges in such systems. Our study provides a state of the art of practices that could improve animal welfare in organic productions and interviews with key informants have been conducted to identify gaps and opportunities for animal welfare. This study provides a shortlist of practices that could be used to improve animal welfare while taking into account farmer wellbeing and sustainability and so contributing to “One Welfare”.

Although organic animal production is based on farming systems that enable a high degree of expression of natural behaviour by the animals, there are still some welfare challenges in such systems. Our study provides a state of the art of practices that could improve animal welfare in organic productions and interviews with key informants have been conducted to identify gaps and opportunities for animal welfare. This study provides a shortlist of practices that could be used to improve animal welfare while taking into account farmer wellbeing and sustainability and so contributing to “One Welfare”.

Demand for organic food has increased in recent years, and public policies have favored organic products, but little attention has been paid to the organic farmers‘ health and safety. We found that organic farmers have lower odds of having good work ability, indicating the need for safer working conditions, particularly for farmers considering switching to organic production. Based on earlier studies, farmers have poorer work ability compared to workers in most other occupations. The aim of this study was to explore if organic production has a positive effect on producers‘ work ability while controlling for demographic and production characteristics. This study used telephone interview data collected by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2014-2015. The material consisted of 2,164 farmers: 231 in organic production and 1,933 in conventional production. Work ability was measured with a single question regarding the farmers‘ current work ability compared with their lifetime best on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning unable to work. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Organic production had a negative effect on work ability, while larger farm size, experiencing economic uncertainty rarely/never/occasionally (vs. often), age under 55 years, having occupational health coverage, and experiencing low amounts of physical strain or mental strain had positive effects in a multivariable model. While this study could not consider potential biases from the farmers‘ existing health status at the time of switching to organic production and other sources, it is clear that greater attention needs to be paid to improving worker health, safety, and wellness in organic farming.

Demand for organic food has increased in recent years, and public policies have favored organic products, but little attention has been paid to the organic farmers‘ health and safety. We found that organic farmers have lower odds of having good work ability, indicating the need for safer working conditions, particularly for farmers considering switching to organic production. Based on earlier studies, farmers have poorer work ability compared to workers in most other occupations. The aim of this study was to explore if organic production has a positive effect on producers‘ work ability while controlling for demographic and production characteristics. This study used telephone interview data collected by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2014-2015. The material consisted of 2,164 farmers: 231 in organic production and 1,933 in conventional production. Work ability was measured with a single question regarding the farmers‘ current work ability compared with their lifetime best on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning unable to work. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Organic production had a negative effect on work ability, while larger farm size, experiencing economic uncertainty rarely/never/occasionally (vs. often), age under 55 years, having occupational health coverage, and experiencing low amounts of physical strain or mental strain had positive effects in a multivariable model. While this study could not consider potential biases from the farmers‘ existing health status at the time of switching to organic production and other sources, it is clear that greater attention needs to be paid to improving worker health, safety, and wellness in organic farming.

Demand for organic food has increased in recent years, and public policies have favored organic products, but little attention has been paid to the organic farmers‘ health and safety. We found that organic farmers have lower odds of having good work ability, indicating the need for safer working conditions, particularly for farmers considering switching to organic production. Based on earlier studies, farmers have poorer work ability compared to workers in most other occupations. The aim of this study was to explore if organic production has a positive effect on producers‘ work ability while controlling for demographic and production characteristics. This study used telephone interview data collected by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2014-2015. The material consisted of 2,164 farmers: 231 in organic production and 1,933 in conventional production. Work ability was measured with a single question regarding the farmers‘ current work ability compared with their lifetime best on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning unable to work. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Organic production had a negative effect on work ability, while larger farm size, experiencing economic uncertainty rarely/never/occasionally (vs. often), age under 55 years, having occupational health coverage, and experiencing low amounts of physical strain or mental strain had positive effects in a multivariable model. While this study could not consider potential biases from the farmers‘ existing health status at the time of switching to organic production and other sources, it is clear that greater attention needs to be paid to improving worker health, safety, and wellness in organic farming.

Demand for organic food has increased in recent years, and public policies have favored organic products, but little attention has been paid to the organic farmers‘ health and safety. We found that organic farmers have lower odds of having good work ability, indicating the need for safer working conditions, particularly for farmers considering switching to organic production. Based on earlier studies, farmers have poorer work ability compared to workers in most other occupations. The aim of this study was to explore if organic production has a positive effect on producers‘ work ability while controlling for demographic and production characteristics. This study used telephone interview data collected by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2014-2015. The material consisted of 2,164 farmers: 231 in organic production and 1,933 in conventional production. Work ability was measured with a single question regarding the farmers‘ current work ability compared with their lifetime best on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning unable to work. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Organic production had a negative effect on work ability, while larger farm size, experiencing economic uncertainty rarely/never/occasionally (vs. often), age under 55 years, having occupational health coverage, and experiencing low amounts of physical strain or mental strain had positive effects in a multivariable model. While this study could not consider potential biases from the farmers‘ existing health status at the time of switching to organic production and other sources, it is clear that greater attention needs to be paid to improving worker health, safety, and wellness in organic farming.

Demand for organic food has increased in recent years, and public policies have favored organic products, but little attention has been paid to the organic farmers‘ health and safety. We found that organic farmers have lower odds of having good work ability, indicating the need for safer working conditions, particularly for farmers considering switching to organic production. Based on earlier studies, farmers have poorer work ability compared to workers in most other occupations. The aim of this study was to explore if organic production has a positive effect on producers‘ work ability while controlling for demographic and production characteristics. This study used telephone interview data collected by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2014-2015. The material consisted of 2,164 farmers: 231 in organic production and 1,933 in conventional production. Work ability was measured with a single question regarding the farmers‘ current work ability compared with their lifetime best on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning unable to work. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Organic production had a negative effect on work ability, while larger farm size, experiencing economic uncertainty rarely/never/occasionally (vs. often), age under 55 years, having occupational health coverage, and experiencing low amounts of physical strain or mental strain had positive effects in a multivariable model. While this study could not consider potential biases from the farmers‘ existing health status at the time of switching to organic production and other sources, it is clear that greater attention needs to be paid to improving worker health, safety, and wellness in organic farming.

In the past decade, the Finnish agricultural sector has undergone rapid structural changes. The number of farms has decreased and the average farm size has increased when the number of farms transferred to new entrants has decreased. Part of the structural change in agriculture is manifested in early retirement programmes. In studying farmers exit behaviour in different countries, institutional differences, incentive programmes and constraints are found to matter. In Finland, farmers early retirement programmes were first introduced in 1974 and, during the last ten years, they have been carried out within the European Union framework for these programmes. The early retirement benefits are farmer specific and de-pend on the level of pension insurance the farmer has paid over his active farming years. In order to predict the future development of the agricultural sector, farmers have been frequently asked about their future plans and their plans for succession. However, the plans the farmers made for succession have been found to be time inconsistent. This study estimates the value of farmers stated succession plans in predicting revealed succession decisions. A stated succession plan exists when a farmer answers in a survey questionnaire that the farm is going to be transferred to a new entrant within a five-year period. The succession is revealed when the farm is transferred to a suc-cessor. Stated and revealed behaviour was estimated as a recursive Binomial Probit Model, which accounts for the censoring of the decision variables and controls for a potential correlation between the two equations. The results suggest that the succession plans, as stated by elderly farmers in the questionnaires, do not provide information that is significant and valuable in predicting true, com-pleted successions. Therefore, farmer exit should be analysed based on observed behaviour rather than on stated plans and intentions. As farm retirement plays a crucial role in determining the, Suomalaisen maatalouden rakenne on muuttunut nopeasti viimeisen vuosikymmenen aikana. Maatilojen lukumäärä on vähentynyt ja keskikoko kasvanut kun tehtyjen sukupolvenvaihdosten määrä on vähentynyt. Viljelijöiden luopumispäätökset vaikuttavat ratkaisevasti maatalouden rakennekehitykseen. Sukupolvenvaihdoksia ja toisaalta vapautuvien resurssien siirtymistä jatkaville viljelijöille onkin pyritty edesauttamaan mm. viljelijöiden luopumistuen avulla. Suomessa on ollut vuodesta 1974 lähtien käytössä erilaisia viljelijöiden luopumistukijärjestelmiä, ja viimeisen kymmenen vuo-den aikana niitä on toteutettu Euroopan Unionin vastaavan järjestelmän puitteissa. Luopumiseläke on viljelijäkohtainen ja sen suuruus riippuu maksetuista eläkevakuutusmaksuista Maatalouden rakennekehityksen ennustamiseksi viljelijöiltä on alettu toistuvasti kysellä mm. heidän sukupolvenvaihdossuunnitelmiaan. Näiden suunnitelmien on kuitenkin havaittu muuttuvan ajan myötä. Tässä tutkimuksessa verrattiin viljelijöiden sukupolvenvaihdossuunnitelmia toteutuneeseen kehitykseen. Tarkastelu perustui tilakyselyyn, jossa tiedusteltiin tilan kehittämisaikomuksia seuraa-van viiden vuoden aikana. Tulosten perusteella toteutuneita sukupolvenvaihdoksia ei voida ennustaa kyselyvastausten perusteella. Siten viljelijöiden luopumispäätöksiä tulisi tarkastella toteutuneen käyttäytymisen eikä tulevaisuudensuunnitelmien perusteella. Sukupolvenvaihdoksen toteutumiselle on tärkeää riittävän aikainen ajoitus. Erilaisten politiikkatoimenpiteiden lisäksi myös taloudelliset kannustimet ja rajoitteet sekä tilan ja viljelijän ominaisuudet vaikuttavat viljelijöiden sukupolvenvaihdoksiin ja tilanpidon lopettamiseen sekä näiden päätösten ajoitukseen. Tärkeimmät luopumispäätökseen vaikuttavat tekijät ovat: viljelijän ja puolison ikä, mahdollisten jatkajien ikä ja lukumäärä, tilakoko, tilan sijainti ja tuotantosuunta sekä mahdollinen tulonmenetys eläkkeelle jäätäessä. Odotettavissa olevan eläkkeen kasvu aikaistaa erityisesti suku-polven