Status quo of the nutritional and economic situation as well as potentials of the use of indigenous protein sources on organic poultry and pig farms Part 2: internal value-added potentials of the feeding management and the use of indigenous protein sources

The data base of 56 organic farms in 2018 was the starting point for developing farm-specific proposals for optimising the nutrient supply for various forms of pig and poultry farming as well as achieving an efficient use of resources and adequate farm earnings. The optimisation strategies were based on the following premises: demand-oriented diets at all stages of life, 100 % organic feed, increased use of indigenous protein sources, and economic excellence compared to the baseline situation presented in Part 1. On the basis of feeding strategies adapted to the individual farms, all farms managed to comply with the premises by using increased quantities of indigenous green and grain legumes. In the diet formulation, heterogeneous initial qualities of indigenous protein sources were specifically supplemented with higher-quality components. The diets were adapted to the changing nutritional requirements of the animals by implementing feeding phases, which limited the need for high-quality and cost-intensive components. This resulted in economically advantageous options. The results suggest that the implementation of a feeding controlling system on individual farms in combination with a comparison of the resource efficiency achieved by the farms on an inter-farm basis is necessary in order to realise significant improvements and to bring the reality of organic pig and poultry farming more in line with requirements. It also seems that the time has come to provide farms with guidance concerning a demand-oriented nutrient supply as well as a still tolerable level of livestock losses and to integrate these objectives into the advisory and control work.