The PPILOW project aims to co-construct through a multi-actor approach solutions to improve the welfare of poultry and pigs reared in organic and low-input outdoor production systems.

The project will target nonconventional and outdoor rearing systems with reduced (notably drug) inputs and organic systems (as defined by EU, so considering defined rearing conditions, organic and local feed use and preventative approaches to health management with limited use of chemical inputs).

Although these high-quality systems enable a high degree of expression of natural behaviour by the animals, there are still several welfare issues in organic and low-input outdoor systems that can be similar to conventional systems (e.g. beak trimming in laying hens, the killing of one-day old layer male chicks, and male piglet castration) or more specific to these systems (e.g. exposure to outdoor sanitary threats, piglet survival).