Dr Harald Reubold

The DLG's Agrifuture online magazine, recently spoke to Dr Reubold about his 28 years at the DLG Test Center; what his livestock equipment test work has taught him about animal welfare; and the current state of farming and animal husbandry. And he reveals an important development at this year's EuroTier trade fair.

Q: What do you understand by animal welfare?

A: Let me describe this with an example. When cows feel comfortable, they spend at least half the day lying and resting or ruminating. In order for them to do so, the lying area and the cubicle coverings must be fitted with cow-friendly fittings. If all factors are correct, and the cow likes it a lot, you have achieved what is commonly known as cow comfort. Lying time is essential for efficient milk production, because during this time the cows chew intensively and salivate, ensuring the buffering of acids fermenting in the rumen. They also relieve their legs and increase the blood flow of the udder, all prerequisites for health and a high level of performance.

Q: Do you check such things at the DLG Test Center?

A: Yes. However, that is not easy because you cannot question the cow directly, like you can with a person, for example if we are buying a mattress in the furniture store. We can only measure cow comfort indirectly, for example by checking how the animals accept the cubicle mattresses, how durable the covers are, and whether the covers themselves may affect the cow's legs. In the course of the joint assessments carried out for this purpose, I have so far examined about 100,000 joints in 10,000 cows throughout Europe.

Q: Do you also examine the durability of the comfort solutions?

A: Of course. Naturally, farmers have an interest in buying products with good service life. For this reason, at the DLG Test Center we conduct standardized test bench examinations on the comfort characteristics and durability of cubicle floor coverings. The technical criteria includes installation, and that is why the DLG tests both in the laboratory and on-farm; extensive practical examinations are necessary in order to be able to make qualified statements about the degree of animal welfare of the products.

Q: And if a product passes this test, is it then awarded the DLG-approved mark?

A: Yes, exactly. The DLG-approved exam is very comprehensive. In addition to technical criteria such as permanent tread load and abrasion resistance, the overall test primarily includes animal-related criteria such as deformability / elasticity, skid resistance / slip resistance, joint health and animal behavior. These final two factors are investigated in practical tests especially.

Q: How expensive is such an exam, and who commissions it?

A: The DLG's voluntary test procedures for these products are mainly paid for by the manufacturers. For floor coverings, a complete test of the product costs 10,000-15,000 euros. The test of individual criteria, or a research and development test, costs 2,500-10,000 euros. The companies should see the voluntary DLG test of their products as an opportunity to improve them further. The fact that we are making a difference with this can be seen, for example, in the awards that have gained a high profile among the trade press, farmers and the business community. This year the DLG, together with the Federal Association of Practicing Veterinarians (bpt) for the first time this year is awarding a special prize for innovations that promote animal welfare. This means that in addition to a Gold or a Silver Medal, innovations may also get the new Animal Welfare Award.

Q: What else do you check besides cubicle coverings?

A: My areas of work include flooring for cattle walking and lying areas, barn equipment such as cubicle separators, feeding grids, calf igloos, cow cleaning machines, silage films, round bale wrap nets, stretch films, litter for animal husbandry, and also animal care products such as clippers, claw care equipment and hoof stands, pregnancy diagnosis equipment, feed mixers, grease guns and central lubrication systems for machine maintenance, and solid biofuels as well.

Q: You are involved in an extensive range of tests, is there a product that you particularly like?

A: No, I do not have any preferences. My daily work is so varied, it always brings something new and I still enjoy it. But, from time to time there is an unfamiliar challenge, for example when we develop a new test method, test requirements and suitable tests for previously untested products such as cat litter.

Q: But you do have a soft spot for dairy cattle – it is quite clear that your doctoral thesis enabled you to connect your job and vocation?

A: When the DLG was ready to publish its first test results for cubicle covering, I had already evaluated many of the joints of the cows using the different mats, and I asked Professor Seufert at the University of Giessen whether he would conceivably consider a dissertation on the topic. He agreed immediately. When I then went to the library to do a literature search using the electronic system, I realized I was the only one with gray hair – all the other students were freshmen. The doctoral thesis was then literally extra-occupational: the measurements for the work were collected within the scope of the DLG tests, but the literature search, the evaluation and the writing had to be done in my free time, and I obviously had to invested a lot of my holiday. Of course, that was not always easy in terms of time, and I'm grateful to my wife and children for supporting me during that period. As part of my doctoral thesis, I evaluated nearly 10,000 claws of cows to investigate the impact of resilient floor coverings on hoof health.

Q: That sounds like a lot of dedication to dairy cows. Where did your interest in agriculture come from?

A: My agricultural roots are from my family. My grandparents used to have two pigs and one cow. Our village has about 300 inhabitants and was formerly very agricultural. At that time there were still five farms, but today there is no full-time farm. All the agricultural land is leased, and only one farm has a few suckler cows. As a child, I always enjoyed being with the farmers and in the countryside. My wife Marion also comes from our village, and her parents had a full-time farm with 15 cows. My wife and I took over this business, but we have leased the agricultural land as managing just 14 hectares would not be economically viable, especially as I work full-time at the DLG. We also have 30 hectares of woodland, and we manage that ourselves.

Q: What are your thoughts about animal welfare legislation, and farming's relationship with society?

A: I must admit, I am not keen on new regulations and laws in animal husbandry. Through my experience with support programs for animal husbandry abroad, such as in Switzerland and the Netherlands, I know well that voluntary schemes with dedicated funding can help improve animal welfare. But as far as livestock are concerned, consumers should not just pay to lip service and say "I want more animal welfare", they should also be prepared to pay more for it. Often, the view of modern agriculture is distorted; the "good old days" were usually not so good! My motorbike is kept in the old cow barn of my parents-in-law. No one wants to keep cows in there today because it does not meet modern animal welfare standards. But I am an optimist, and live by the motto "Do not give up, there is always a way".