The welfare of farm animals is a major increasing concern to the public, as well as to stakeholders in the global agro-food system. Ethology is a key element of animal welfare sciences as it allows us to know what animals need. In this course we will discuss specifically the challenges faced by farm animals and the behavioural research used to address them.

The overall goal of the course is to provide the essential scientific knowledge of pig animal health and behaviour and of the implications for husbandry and animal welfare.

The course provides the scientific basis of the central aspects of reproduction and nutrition physiology of ruminants, and of the implications for animal health, product quality, and breeding programs. Means of knowledge transfer include interdisciplinary approaches, disciplinary parts, web-based learning and self-study.