Reproduction management without hormones for organic livestock breeding in France

Abstract

The specifications for organic farming prohibit treatments based on hormones or similar substances in order to control reproduction. In organic farms, out-of-season breeding of sheep and goats can be achieved by male effect. Light treatments (without melatonin administration) can also be applied in open buildings and are compatible with grazing but little used in the field. Artificial insemination (AI) is little used on small ruminant organic breeding and performed after natural estrus (breeding season) or synchronized estrus by male effect (out-of-season breeding). AI protocols require prior detection of estrus and multiple AI over several days. In goats, extended lactation is an alternative to out-of-season milk production. In pig organic breeding, the male effect can facilitate puberty induction in gilts, stimulation of lactation estrus and the decrease of the weaning-to-estrus interval duration; however, it is mainly used to stimulate expression of estrus behavior. Transport, relocation and mixing is widely used to induce and synchronize estrus in replacement gilts. In cattle, breeding can be performed all over the year and is performed by natural mating (mostly in suckler cows) or by AI (mostly in dairy cows) after natural estrus. That is why the ban on hormonal treatments for estrus induction and synchronization is not disadvantageous in cattle organic farming. In all species, nutritional flushing (increased nutrition) is used before the breeding period to improve fertility. The implementation of these practices in organic farming is the result of a balance between financial, regulatory and ethical issues.