Expert list Animal Protection / Animal Welfare

How animals are kept continues to get negative headlines. Cheap meat has its price, but in the end it’s the animals who pay. Fewer and fewer consumers find this acceptable. Only by ensuring the animals’ well-being in the stalls can animal husbandry continue to find acceptance in society. At the University of Hohenheim, many scientists are researching projects related to animal well-being. You can find the respective contact persons in the expert list.

Note: Contact persons for piglet castration see Expert list piglet castration

1 Artgerechte Haltung

Tierschutz und Tierwohl – was kann die Politik tun?

Wie ist es um den Tierschutz in Deutschland, in Europa und weltweit bestellt? Welche rechtlichen Regelungen sind eher förderlich, welche hinderlich? Wo gibt es noch Verbesserungsbedarf? Wie kann den Bemühungen für ein verbessertes Tierwohl zum Erfolg verholfen werden?

Prof. Dr. Christine Wieck ist Mitglied im Wissenschaftlichen Beirat für Agrarpolitik, Ernährung und gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz (WBAE) des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft und beschäftigt sich mit der deutschen, europäischen und internationalen Agrar- und Ernährungspolitik in einer globalisierten Welt.

Kontakt: Prof. Dr. Christine Wieck, Fachgebiet Agrar- und Ernährungspolitik, 0 711 459 22656, E-Mail

Was macht einen tiergerechten Stall aus?

Welche Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten sollten den Tieren zur Verfügung stehen? Wie müssen die Böden gestaltet sein, um den verschiedenen Ansprüchen der Tiere gerecht zu werden? Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es, den Raum tiergerecht zu strukturieren? Antworten erhalten Sie von Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann vom Fachgebiet für Verfahrenstechnik der Tierhaltungssysteme.

Kontakt: Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann, Zentrum für Tierhaltungstechnik, 0711 459 22508, E-Mail

Bessere Lüftungstechnik für ein gutes Stallklima

Quelle: Universität Hohenheim / Sacha Dauphin

Mastschweine sollten optimalerweise Zugang zur Außenluft haben. Doch aus Sicht des Umweltschutzes stellen die unkontrollierten Emissionen dann ein Problem dar. Diesen Widerspruch zwischen Tierwohl und Umwelt will Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann lösen. Sie erforschen, wie die Lüftungstechnik bei geringen Emissionen für ein gutes Stallklima sorgen kann. Auch funktionssichere Kühlungsmöglichkeiten sind wichtig, um Hitzestress vorzubeugen.

Kontakt: Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann,Zentrum für Tierhaltungstechnik, 0711 459 22508, E-Mail

Nachhaltige Nutztierhaltung und Fleischersatz im Trend

Nachhaltige Haltung von Nutztieren – ist das eine Alternative für Konsument:innen? Wie sollten tierische Produkte gekennzeichnet sein, damit Verbraucher:innen eine informierte Wahl treffen können? Unter welchen Bedingungen wären sie bereit, ihren Fleischkonsum zu verringern, und sind Fleischersatzprodukte eine echte Alternative für die Menschen? Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ramona Weinrich erforscht die Rahmenbedingungen.

Kontakt: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ramona Weinrich, Fachgebiet Verbraucherverhalten in der Bioökonomie, +49 711 459 22876, E-Mail

1 Species-appropriate handling

Animal welfare and protection - what can politics do?

What is the state of animal welfare in Germany, Europe and worldwide? Which legal regulations are more conducive, which hinder? Where is there still room for improvement? How can efforts to improve animal welfare be made successful?

Prof. Dr. Christine Wieck is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Agricultural Policy, Nutrition and Consumer Health Protection (WBAE) of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and deals with German, European and international agricultural and food policy in a globalized world.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Christine Wieck, Department of Agricultural and Food Policy, +49 711 459 22656, E-mail

What are characteristics of an animal-friendly stall?

What activities should be available for the animals? How should the floors be designed in order to fulfill the animals’ various needs? What are the possibilities for structuring the space in a way that is animal friendly? You can obtain answers from Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann from the Department of Livestock Systems Engineering.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann, Department of Livestock Systems Engineering, +49 711 459 22508, E-mail

Better ventilation technology for a good stall climate

Quelle: Universität Hohenheim / Sacha Dauphin

Ideally, fattening pigs should have access to outside air. But from an environmental protection perspective, the uncontrolled emissions then pose a problem. Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann seeks to resolve these competing interests. They are assessing how ventilation techniques can ensure a good stall climate with low emissions. Effecting possibilities for cooling are also important to prevent heat stress.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann, Department of Livestock Systems Engineering, + 49 711 459 22508, E-mail

Sustainable livestock farming and meat substitutes as a trend

Sustainable husbandry of farm animals - is this an alternative for consumers? How should animal products be labeled so that consumers can make informed choices? Under what conditions would they be willing to reduce their meat consumption, and are meat substitutes a real alternative for people? Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ramona Weinrich researches the conditions for this.

Contact: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ramona Weinrich, Department of Consumer Behavior in the Bioeconomy, +49 (0)711 459 22876, email

2 Animal health

Relaxed sows - healthy piglets

Image: University of Hohenheim | Oskar Eyb

The way sows are kept affects the animals’ well-being. Do the animals have a better life in social groups? How much does social instability stress the animals when the group is mixed? What factors influence the animals’ behavior? What consequences result for their young from how the animals are kept? How does it affect their immune status and health?

Discuss these questions with Prof. Dr. Volker Stefanski from the Department of Behavioral Physiology of Farm Animals.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Volker Stefanski, Department of Behavioral Physiology of Livestock, +49 711 459-22455, email

What conditions promote animal health?

The health of the livestock is key for their well-being. To what extent does the way the animals are kept affect their health? For over 40 years, the Department of Environmental and Animal Hygiene has analyzed how the hygiene and environment can be optimized for this purpose. The research focuses are in the area of environmental hygiene and animal health.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Ludwig E. Hölzle, Department of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, +49 711 459 22427, E-mail

Electronic animal marking for the purpose of animal health

Electronic marking of the individual animals also serves to monitor their health. It makes it easier for the operations to carry out self-controls according the Animal Welfare Act and for monitoring antibiotics. Links between illnesses, treatments, or vaccinations can thus be better recognized. With the use of monitoring systems, illnesses and therefore also the use of medications is to be minimized. You can obtain more information on how this works from Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann. She develops and tests various methods for marking the animals.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Eva Gallmann, Department of Livestock Systems Engineering, +49 711 459 22508, email

Physiological background of animal health

Quelle: Universität Hohenheim | Oskar Eyb

How does an organism work in general? For example, how exactly does the digestion of cattle, pigs, or horses work? What particularities are there in chickens? What external influences can harm the animals, do the animals have respective sensors? For questions on the anatomical-physiological background of animal health, contact the veterinarian Prof. Dr. Korinna Huber.

Contact: Prof Dr. Korinna Huber, Department of Anatomy and Physiology of Livestock, +49 711 459 22410, E-mail

Press releases

For Animal Welfare & Environmental Protection:
State lays cornerstone for new "HoLMiR" research center [11.10.2022]

More animal welfare and better animal health, more climate protection and less environmental impact: Researchers at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart are pursuing these goals with a new approach: They are exploring the interplay between farm animals and the millions of microorganisms in the animals’ digestive tracts. The federal and state governments are supporting the...more


Showcase Bioeconomy:
How laying hens can make optimum use of phosphorus [30.03.2021]

Phosphorus is an indispensable mineral for all living organisms, but it is also a very limited resource. With the aim of conserving phosphorus from mineral sources, scientists from six departments at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart have joined forces to set up the DFG research group "P-FOWL" (FOR 2601). They have also brought in two other working groups from the...more


54 Million Euros:
German Council of Science and Humanities Endorses Center for Animal Sciences [27.04.2018]

Animal well-being and animal health, reduced use of antibiotics, better use of resources, and reduced environmental effects: A key factor in livestock animals’ characteristics are the interactions between the animal and the billions and billions of microorganisms that are located in particular in the intestinal tract. Up to now, these processes have in large part not been...more


Phosphorus & Animal Health:
New Research Group Strengthens Animal Research at the University of Hohenheim [04.07.2017]

Phosphorus is an indispensable nutrient for humans, animals, and plants. But especially livestock usually cannot satisfy their needs with only plant-based feed. To compensate, farmers add phosphorus, which is mined as rock phosphate like salt - which has two disadvantages: The first is that global phosphorus supplies are quickly dwindling. The second is that studies by the...more