Animal Sciences Group - Wageningen UR

The Animal Sciences Group is part of Wageningen University and Research Centre and comprises the Divisions Animal Production, 'ASG Veehouderij BV' in full, Infectious Diseases, Products and the Department of Animal Sciences of Wageningen University.


internet: www.asg.wur.nl

The Animal Sciences Group is part of Wageningen University and Research Centre and comprises the Divisions Animal Production, 'ASG Veehouderij BV' in full, Infectious Diseases, Products and the Department of Animal Sciences of Wageningen University. This merger has been established in 2006.
At the start of the LayWel project two Divisions of the Animal Sciences Group were involved, formerly known as:

They are now both part of the Divisions Animal Production of the Animal Sciences Group.

The Animal Sciences Group of Wageningen UR is an internationally renowned knowledge organisation in the field of animal husbandry, animal health and fisheries. It also develops and produces vaccines and sensitines (specific diagnostics). Core activities are scientific and practice-based research, academic education and generating (animal) production systems and innovations. The staff of about 650 highly qualified people instructs young academics and undertakes research for a large group of clients. The research varies from specialist to multi-disciplinary, while the focus is always on the concepts of quality and independence for both education and research. The Animal Sciences Group has very extensive facilities for research and production. There are practical research centres at various locations in the Netherlands, where there are application-oriented locations for research into cattle, poultry and pig farming.
The 250 members of staff at the Animal production division have a wide knowledge of the fields of animal welfare, breeding, farm animal health, animal nutrition, economy, animal housing, food quality and policy developments at home and abroad and have contacts there. Their interests also cover the environment, sustainable energy, farm management development and product quality in international chains.
The Animal Sciences Group has been working on alternative housing systems for laying hens for more than 25 years. After 10 years research on enriched cages it is one of the most experienced institutes in this type of housing. Apart from this, research is conducted on aviaries, free range, deep litter, organic farming and the possibilities to omit or reduce beak treatments.




Dr. H. Blokhuis,acted as overall project coordinator. He has more than 20 years experience in animal welfare research. He has published extensively in scientific journals and contributed to many scientific congresses. An extensive part of his work was related to laying hen behaviour, housing and welfare. Prof. Dr.Blokhuis has a long standing experience in leading complex multidisciplinary research programmes. For many years Prof. Dr.Blokhuis was programme leader of research programmes for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. These programmes involved the study of housing, stress and animal welfare in cows, pigs and poultry. He also coordinated two EU funded international research programmes, one on veal calves and one on laying hens.
Prof. Dr.Blokhuis has chaired an action in the framework of COST (European co-operation in the field of scientific and technical research). The Action (no. 846) is called “Measuring and monitoring farm animal welfare”.
Untill recently he was leading the research group “Animal Welfare” at ID-Lelystad. At present he is consultant for International Research Networks and linked to the Animal Sciences Group of Wageningen University and Research Centre.
Prof. Dr.Blokhuis is member of the Scientific Committee for Animal Health and Animal Welfare, an advisory body to the European Commission. Prof. Dr.Blokhuis is Dutch representative in Technical Committee of COST in the domain Agriculture, Food Science and Biotechnology. He is also member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Belgian Policy Research Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
Prof. Dr.Blokhuis is a member of the World's Poultry Science Association and the WPSA working group on Poultry Welfare. He is member of the International Society for Applied Ethology and serves as Regional Secretary for the Benelux. He is a member of the American Society of Animal Science. He is member of the Dutch Zoötechnical Society and EAAP contact person in the Netherlands for the Management and Health Commission. He is member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Applied Animal Behaviour Science and of the International Editorial Board of Veterinary Sciences Tomorrow.
(e-mail: Harry.Blokhuis@wur.nl)

Ir. T. Fiks - van Niekerk is senior research leader and already involved in research with laying hens since 1989. Main areas of interest are welfare and housing of laying hens. She was involved in the first introductions of aviary systems on commercial farms in the Netherlands. Since the start in 1993 she is project leader of the research on enriched cages. She is member of the World’s Poultry Science Association and the WPSA working group on Poultry Welfare. She has participated in earlier European projects concerning welfare implications of bone weakness of laying hens. She has participated in the co-ordination team. She has used her wide experience in research in experimental units and on commercial farms with many different housing systems for laying hens, to lead WP2.
(e-mail: thea.fiks@wur.nl)

Dr I. de Jong is a scientific researcher poultry welfare at the Animal Welfare Group. She has 6 years experience in stress physiology and applied ethology. In 2001 she received her PhD in Animal Physiology on behavioural and physiological research in pigs. Since 2000 she is working as a project leader in several poultry projects, e.g. in a project on feather pecking in laying hens and currently in a project concerning behavioural priorities in laying hens. She has been working on WP4.
(e-mail: e-mail: Ingrid.dejong@wur.nl)