Is Organic Animal Husbandry the role model for the future of Livestock? This was the questoin discussed during the IFOAM Animal Husbandry Alliance conference held at FIBL in Switzerland, between 28-30 April 2026. Around 200 participants from 40 countries participated. NLF participated in the event, especially contributing to the special sessions on Ethno Veterinary Practices for Livestock health, and on Animal Wellbeing

Please find the Proceedings of the conference 

Outcome workshop Ethno veterinary practices 

In the EVP workshop there were 5 presentations, 4 of which came from India – including:

• Baldomero Molina (Latin America) – RIEV
• Balakrishnan Nair et al (India) – EVP as alternative approach
• Devi (India) – EVP in nomadic Gaddi Shepherds
• Muherjee (India) – Herbal therapies for mastitis in dairy cattle
• Singh (India) – EVP to control udder infections in buffalo

Conclusions of the workshop:

Overarching challenges:

• Safeguarding ethnoveterinary knowledge: addressing the ongoing erosion and marginalization of ethnoveterinary knowledge, ensuring its preservation, recognition, and continued transmission to future generations.
• Bridging ethnoveterinary and scientific approaches: overcoming the currently limited integration between traditional knowledge and science through validation and research, making ethnoveterinary practices more evidence-based and competitive with xenobiotics

Main action neede to overcome challenges:

• Protection and preservation of ethnoveterinary knowledge: safeguarding resources, intellectual property, and the in situ and ex situ conservation of medicinal plants.
• Strengthening research, education, and knowledge transfer: promoting participatory research, involving all stakeholder groups, and supporting young people
• Expanding networks and policy recognition: strengthening local and global networks to learn from each other, disseminate and adapt knowledge to local circumstances, while avoiding commercialization, and integrating ethnoveterinary knowledge into agricultural, veterinary, and One Health policy frameworks.

How can organic agriculture be a role model in this regard?

• solutions based on local solutions (make them available, raise awareness, commercialisation only at a low and local level)
• Promoting the holistic approach of ethnoveterinary for animal health and welfare including prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases.
• Leveraging ethnoveterinary knowledge as an entry point to ogranic livestock production (for all kind of livestock holders, e.g. at a small holder level esp. in developing countries)

See here the full report of the workshop