Just like us, a healthy animal is better able to resist disease than a stressed one. And so organic farmers aim for their animals to lead a stress-free life, happy life.

Unlike the term 'free range', organic standards cover a wide range of issues, as well as requiring that animals have access to range freely. These issues include living conditions, food quality, preventing the routine use of antibiotics and hormones, and even transport and slaughter.

• Must have access to fields (when weather and ground conditions permit) and are truly free range
• Must have plenty of space - which helps to reduce stress and disease
• Must be fed a diet that is as natural as possible and free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• Must only be given drugs to treat an illness
• Cannot be given hormones which make them grow more quickly or make them more productive.

Organic livestock farmers can manage their animals without the routine use of antibiotics and other drugs because they run a healthy, balanced system. This means not keeping too many animals on a given area, keeping a mixture of species wherever possible and providing a diet that is as natural as possible.

In the words of another....

“Organic farming has the potential to offer the very highest standards of animal welfare. Compassion in World Farming believes that the Soil Association’s welfare standards are leaders in the field.” (Joyce d’Silva, Director, Compassion in World Farming.)

For more information on animal welfare visit www.soilassociation.org/animalwelfare