Collaborative project "agri:change - Future through change"

Sustainability transformation in the agricultural and food sector in Lower Saxony

• Goal 1: Understanding and shaping transformation processes, managing sustainability innovations in value creation systems
• Goal 2: Use resources in a circular manner, design animal husbandry in the context of a nature-, environment- and resource-friendly circular economy and holistic material and by-stream management
• Goal 3: Improve animal welfare, provide optimal husbandry conditions for farm animals
• Goal 4: Developing innovative business areas for new sources of income in the agricultural and food sector.
• Goal 5: Promote acceptance and sustainability skills, advance education and participation.

These goals are addressed in four agri:labs and the associated questions:

as well as addressed in cross-cutting themes across agri:lab:

Our Functional Breeding department is responsible for the research and development of new concepts in the following sub-projects within agri:lab X2:

X2.4: Poultry “Climate” – New Housing Concepts Under Changing Climatic Conditions

New, animal-friendly housing concepts for poultry are also characterized by climatic stimuli for the animals. High temperatures, temperature fluctuations, extreme weather, and high levels of solar radiation present particular challenges that must be addressed with targeted measures to prevent impairments to animal health and welfare. The influence of changing climatic conditions affects both broiler chickens and laying hens, although in laying hens, in addition to the effects on well-being, maintaining body mass while maintaining high egg production and product quality (physiology and eggshell formation under heat stress) are particularly affected. Against this background, aspects of animal husbandry, animal breeding, and animal nutrition are equally important in developing solutions for sustainable poultry farming under changing climatic conditions and housing environments.

Objectives:
• Development and testing of concepts for broiler and laying hen farming under the influence of climate change at various husbandry levels/systems
• Optimization of animal welfare, animal health, performance, and product quality in the context of the combination of husbandry level/system, climate, and genetics
Methods:
• Evaluation of animal health, animal welfare, and animal behavior in various husbandry systems under the influence of changing climatic conditions, including potential leakage effects
• Animal breeding evaluation of different lines/breeds with regard to resilience to changing climatic conditions, taking husbandry systems into account
• Development of nutritional and dietary concepts after analysis of the current situation with regard to climate, animal husbandry, and the use of different lines/breeds
• Testing of the concepts with regard to animal husbandry/breeding/nutrition/sustainability

X2.5: Poultry “Low Carbon Line” – Regional Production with Low Environmental Impact (Fattening and Egg Production)
The consumption of poultry products is expected to continue to rise slightly, or at least remain constant, in our region. To meet this demand through local production, the environmental impact of poultry farming must be minimized – while simultaneously ensuring the efficient production of high-quality food. For this purpose, specific concepts are being developed for fattening and egg production that will continue to enable high-quality local production. Under these conditions, the use of by-products as feed components for poultry nutrition must be considered to reduce the footprint. In addition to recording and evaluating such by-products, the breeding of broiler chickens and, in particular, laying hens, needs to be geared towards feed intake capacity. Alternative feedstuffs generally have a lower energy and nutrient density.

Objectives:
• Development and evaluation of concepts for broiler farming and egg production with the aim of maximizing the use of regional and alternative feedstuffs with low climate impact
• Optimization of animal welfare, animal health, performance, and product quality under the altered production conditions (genetics/housing/feed)
Methods:
• Animal breeding testing and evaluation of various lines/breeds with regard to their suitability for use under altered feeding conditions in order to reduce the environmental impact of production
• Development of alternative feeding concepts based on an analysis of the current situation and the availability and potential for utilizing by-products for broiler and laying hens
• Testing of the concepts with regard to animal breeding/animal nutrition/sustainability in a model and under real-world conditions

X2.6: Fish “Adaptation line” – low input under varying environmental conditions
Fish is a high-quality source of protein. However, since many stocks are overfished, sustainable fish consumption must be based on (freshwater) aquaculture. Fish are inherently very efficient, but some species have high protein requirements. Furthermore, they are subject to much greater variation in environmental conditions than other species, a situation that will increase with advancing climate change. To ensure local and sustainable fish production in Lower Saxony, feeding strategies must be developed that rely on sustainable protein sources and nutrient recovery (link to agri:lab X3). Additionally, it is essential to breed and propagate fish lines (in this project, locally adapted rainbow trout lines) or species (here, various salmonids such as rainbow trout, brown trout, and grayling) adapted to low-input feeding locally. Raising animals in recirculating systems (closed-loop systems) is a complementary approach that allows for location-independent operation under consistent conditions, while simultaneously conserving resources and using less water. However, keeping animals in closed-loop systems is associated with a reduction in quality aspects, which also need to be optimized.

Objectives:
• Optimization of husbandry and feeding under local conditions (e.g., rising temperatures, extreme weather events)
• Characterization of fish species and lines with regard to their interaction with feed and environment, implementation in local breeding strategies
• Increased diversity and thus resilience to varying environmental conditions
• Improvement of animal health and nutritional parameters
• Sustainability assessment of the systems
Methods:
• Investigation of dietary adaptation through classical feeding experiments with different species/genetics using sustainable alternative feeds
• Investigation of temperature adaptation by incubating different species/genetics under varying conditions, followed by estimation of interactions using high-throughput methods
• Characterization of disease resistance using specific infection experiments
• Evaluation of product quality and nutritional value using spectroscopic methods and their genetic basis


Running Time
Begin: July 1, 2025 I End: June 30, 2030

Total: 24,74 Mio. €

Funder