At the Weihenstephan campus of the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT), Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Zeiler and Dr. Theresa Hautzinger from the Faculty of Sustainable Agricultural and Energy Systems have been working on the topic of animal welfare for several years. In research projects, they investigate forms of calf rearing, methods for assessing the well-being of farm animals, and ways to combine ecological and economic requirements.
For a long time, animal research focused primarily on health, nutrition, and performance. Today, social behavior, bonds between animals, the housing environment, and the design of agricultural systems are also receiving greater attention. Animal welfare is understood not merely as a state, but as an interplay of several factors. Dr. Theresa Hautzinger emphasizes that, in addition to easily measurable parameters of animal health, other aspects are important. This becomes clear in the example of cow-calf rearing: While the health of calves can be well ensured in conventional systems with feeding buckets or automatic feeders, cows and calves can only express natural suckling and social behaviors in cow-calf systems. At the same time, colostrum and milk replacer provision is more demanding in these systems. Animal health and animal welfare should therefore be intertwined.
In the "Added Value Organic Milk + Meat" project, researchers considered animal welfare as part of a larger system. With the expansion of organic milk production, the question arises as to how calves, especially males, can be integrated into regional value chains. The project examined marketing channels, operational challenges, and alternative husbandry methods such as cow-calf contact rearing, where cows and calves stay together longer. For farms, this means altered workflows, new management decisions, and different marketing channels. The project demonstrates that animal-friendly solutions require sustainable, long-term structures.
The collaborative project "KuKIndiTM" by HSWT and the Technical University of Munich focused on scientifically reliable indicators for animal welfare and milk yields in cow-calf rearing on dairy farms in southern Germany. Researchers documented social interactions, activity patterns, and the animals' development, combining traditional observation with sensor data. One farmer described his experience as follows: "The calves should be allowed to express their natural behaviors. In the past, they were often neglected. Cow-calf rearing is the best method to ensure the well-being of both cows and calves." In this method, according to the guidelines of the German Association for Cow-Calf Rearing, the cow and calf remain together for at least 90 days; the calf nurses from its mother or a foster cow.
The "OptiBioRind" project focuses on sustainable concepts for organic cattle fattening on Bavarian grassland sites. Grassland plays a crucial role in biodiversity, water management, cultural landscapes, and ruminant-appropriate feeding; arable grassland and by-products can also contribute to closed-loop systems. The project investigates which approaches work under different regional and farm-specific conditions and how animal welfare, resource efficiency, and economic viability can be integrated. Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Zeiler says: "From a veterinary perspective, any husbandry system that allows animals to remain healthy and express their natural behaviors is successful. With this project, we aim to demonstrate how regional value creation, grassland utilization, and a high level of animal welfare can be successfully combined."
The studies conclude that animal welfare cannot be reduced to barn size or health data alone. It arises from the relationships between cow and calf, animal and environment, as well as agricultural practices and societal expectations.
