Sustaining Animal Health and Food Safety in Organic Farming (SAFO) is a European Commission funded Concerted Action Project with the objective to contribute to improved food safety and animal health in organic livestock production systems in existing and candidate member countries of the European Union. We aim at doing this through exchange and active communication of research results and conclusions between researchers, policy makers, farmers and the wider stakeholder community, including consumers. Workshops form a central part of these activities, documented by the proceedings. This volume with the contributions to first SAFO Workshop in Florence in September 2003 is the first in a series of five proceedings published during the lifetime of the project (2003-2006). Electronic version of the proceedings will also be available at the SAFO web-site at http://www.safonetwork.org.
The Workshop in Florence on "Socio-Economic Aspects of Animal Health and Food Safety in Organic Farming Systems" focused on financial and economic aspects of organic livestock production at the farm level and in the whole organic food chain. The impact of attitudes of various stakeholders on the development of organic livestock production was also covered. The Workshop was attended by 70 delegates from 22 countries, representing a wide variety of expertise and aspects of organic farming from certification activities, marketing economics and social science to animal health and welfare.
It was apparent, from the papers, posters and working group conclusions, that organic livestock producers work within a society and are governed by if not the same – at least very similar - economic constraints as conventional farmers. In addition, they have voluntarily taken onboard the organic rules and values. It is also clear that the interface of the organic values, and those of society and food production at large, can impose complex constraints on production at farm level. For instance, while animal health appears to be an important concept to the consumers in deciding what to buy, there appears to be a discrepancy between the welfare expectations of consumers and the production realities. One of the key issues raised by the workshop was the need to educate the consumer and to focus on the process rather than the product.
Another area where clear messages can be taken home from the Workshop is that, while organic livestock producers need premium prices for their produce to justify the higher production costs, it is difficult to maintain these in the midst of the conventional market place. Political economist Paul Rye Kledal from Denmark threw the analytical net even wider and concluded that that the future development of organic farming is part of the on-going struggle between a more democratic global food regime, and a free-market global food regime with deregulated market and food production.
The location of the Workshop in Italy, allowed us to focus on one of the fastest growing organic markets in the world. A series of papers and posters describing the diversity of Italian organic livestock production was fascinating and highlighted the need to understand local conditions, not just within the European context, but in a single country. Similarly, the presence of delegates and the poster presentations from the EU accession countries highlighted the diversity of socio-economic frameworks within which the organic producers work in Europe. This is, if possible, even greater than the diversity of the climatic conditions!
We wish you a good read.
Malla Hovi, Andrea Martini and Susanne Padel
SAFO would like to thank Susanne Padel and the Italian partner Andrea Martini and his staff, Giangiacomo Lorenzini, Samanta Rosi Bellière and Paola Migliorini, for the workshop organisation. We are also grateful to the ARSIA (Regional Agency for the Development and the Innovation in the Agricultural and Forestry Sector) for active participation and financial support. Many thanks are also due to the personnel of the IAO (Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare) for helping with the venue, workshop organisation and accommodation.
The Workshop delegates and the organisers are also in debt to the Tuscany Gouvernment, the Florence Commune, the Faculty of Agriculture and the Green Party Group of the Florence Commune for the realisation of the magnificent plenary session at the Palazzo Vecchio.
We are also grateful to the Mountain Community of Mugello, the Borgo S. Lorenzo Commune, the Breeders Association of the Florence Province and the Agricultural Co-operative of Firenzuola for the organisation of the field trip in Mugello.
Our special thanks go to the two farmers who opened their farms for visits during the Workshop: dairy farmer Giuseppe Pietracito (Cooperativa Emilio Sereni) and beef farmer Adriano Borgioli (Azienda Valdastra).
