DAFA

About

The DAFA is a joint effort of the German agricultural research community. Its more than 60 Member organizations bundle their expertise to strengthen the capacity and international visibility of German agricultural research. The alliance generates a powerful network of basic and applied research scientists in agriculture, veterinary sciences, horticulture, viticulture, aquaculture, as well as parts of geo and environmental sciences.

Vision

The increasing global demand for meat, dairy and fish creates a number of challenges: the products must be safe, healthy and come from sustainable production based on high animal welfare and environmental standards. To face these challenges DAFA set out expert forums and platforms bearing a relation to the ATF’s scope of interest: e.g. on livestock farming, on aquaculture and on bees and agriculture.

These expert forums focus on areas that are particularly relevant to the controversial debate about intensive livestock production. They strive to make relevant contributions in order to induce changes in the German and European livestock sector. These changes shall be science-based and measurable. The expert forum on livestock farming comprises six thematic clusters: Society, indicators, rural areas, cattle, pigs and poultry. Details can be found at https://www.dafa.de/ag-research-in-germany/ and https://www.dafa.de/foren/fachforum-nutztiere/ (in German).

DAFA in the Animal Task Force

DAFA represents the German scientific community in the ATF. As the leading agricultural research network DAFA provides expertise in basic as well as applied research on livestock systems. Its diversity leads to an interdisciplinary vision of the animal sector that faces societal, economic and ecological issues. DAFA is committed to contribute this knowledge to the success of ATF.

Main contributors to Animal Task Force are five representatives from the Animal Science Group of DAFA:

• Klaus Wimmers, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (Spokesperson)
• Robby Anderson, Osnabrueck University of Applied Science
• Sven Daenicke, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health
• Kay-Uwe Goetz, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture
• Imke Traulsen, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen