Elements and Performance Criteria
- Manage animal health and welfare
- Consider natural behaviours of animals and requirements of animal welfare codes of practice in planning for organic livestock production
- Select and use varieties/genetics for the enterprise that match environmental conditions and optimise animal health
- Monitor livestock constantly for health and welfare and keep records
- Develop animal health preventative strategies, communicate to others working on farm and implement
- Identify and use animal health inputs suitable for organic systems where required
- Follow restrictions and prohibited/restricted inputs for certified organic systems and quarantine if applicable
- Conduct animal husbandry and transport in compliance with animal welfare principles and organic certification requirements
- Maintain livestock records required for organic certification
- Develop and implement supplementary feed requirements
- Identify feed gaps and requirements for supplementary feed taking into account seasonal conditions and drought
- Incorporate on-farm supplementary feed strategies including fodder crops, agroforestry or standing hay paddocks into the annual program for animal feed and on-farm sustainability
- Implement good storage practises for feed inputs to ensure quality is maintained
- Purchase and use nutritional inputs in the feed program that meet relevant Organic Standards and/or agro-ecological principles where applicable
- Develop and implement a sustainable grazing strategy
- Determine feed requirements, sustainable carrying capacity and a sustainable stocking rate for the enterprise that takes into account seasonal variability and livestock needs
- Determine indicators and benchmarks for sustainable pasture, land and soil use for the property
- Identify grazing infrastructure required for a planned grazing strategy and incorporate into a property improvement program
- Develop and implement a planned grazing system that ensures optimal livestock health and productivity at all times
- Develop and implement a planned grazing system that matches stocking rate to carrying capacity and ensure sustainable pasture, land and soil condition at all times
- Optimise soil and plant health to provide a nutrient-dense and balanced diet for livestock
- Monitor the grazing system to ensure productivity and sustainability on an on-going basis
- Implement strategies for controlling weeds in pastures based on Organic Standards and/or agro-ecological principles where applicable
- Keep grazing and feed records for enterprise management and to ensure compliance to Organic Standards where applicable
- Manage farm fertility for the livestock enterprise
- Estimate level of nutrients exported from farm
- Implement a fertility monitoring program such as soil-testing, plant testing or observation of pasture species to monitor pasture and soil fertility
- Maintain soil nutrient levels and balance through recycling, optimising nutrient availability in soil and/or sourcing fertility inputs that meet Organic Standards and/or agro-ecological principles where applicable
- Eliminate the risk of weed and chemical contamination to the farm by following Organic Standards and/or agro-ecological principles
- Keep fertility input records for enterprise management and to ensure compliance to Organic Standards where applicable