In November 2023, a new chapter, devoted to animal nutrition, was added to the Sustainable Agriculture Guide, a compendium on sustainable agricultural production. The new content is part of the “Animal Husbandry” section.
Currently, the Sustainable Agriculture Guide covers 18 areas dealing with the principles of sustainable farm management and consists of 274 subsections. The Guide has been developed in cooperation with leading Polish specialists representing many fields, including agricultural, climatological, social and financial experts. Its content is continuously updated in order to ensure that it takes into account legislative changes, technological progress in agriculture as well as new market practices resulting from such progress.
The new chapter on animal nutrition sets out the principles concerning the sustainable nutrition of cattle, pigs and poultry, as well as certification, animal welfare and the impact of proper animal nutrition on the quality of animal husbandry. The chapter was written by Jerzy Próchnicki PhD Eng., Karolina Chodkowska PhD, Piotr Kotowski MSc Eng., Prof. Robert Kupczyński PhD DSc, and Paweł Konieczka PhD DSc Eng., in cooperation with market experts.
Animal husbandry is the most demanding aspect of agricultural activity. The basic and inseparable elements of this branch of agriculture are the health and welfare of animals as well as their nutrition, which has the greatest impact on both the other elements and the volume and quality of production.
– says Jerzy Próchnicki PhD, Member of the Board of the Association for Sustainable Agriculture & Food in Poland.
Thus, proper nutrition is a crucial factor when it comes to meeting the expectations of clients and ensuring the profitability of the farmer’s work.
– he added.
A sustainable farm is characterised by an appropriate, balanced structure, which involves the necessity to ensure the right concentration of animals, optimise manure management, maintain biodiversity within the area surrounding the farm and limit the impact of livestock farming on the environment and soil. Animal husbandry should also meet the expectations of the local community and consumers. Therefore, an important aspect of sustainability is to convince consumers and food processors that the food they purchase or raw meat supplied to them for processing has truly been produced as a result of agricultural activity that takes into account the protection of biodiversity, climate and social needs, e.g. in terms of animal welfare. Certification systems, both national and international, are of great help in this regard.
The Association for Sustainable Agriculture & Food in Poland is a non-commercial initiative of a group of companies and individuals representing various industries within the chain of responsibility for food. The Association undertakes a range of activities related to promotion, education and cooperation within the field of sustainable agriculture and food in Poland.