Outdoor runs in organic monogastric farming: a lever for feed self-sufficiency?

The strengthening of organic farming (OF) regulations since 2022 reinforces protein self-sufficiency issues and raises questions about the coherence of organic monogastric systems. In this context, outdoor runs appear as a potential lever for addressing nutritional, zootechnical and societal challenges. This paper presents the results of the CASDAR VALORAGE project, based on surveys conducted among organic pig and laying hen farmers and on trials carried out on commercial farms. The results show that outdoor runs are widely associated with animal welfare and a positive image of livestock farming, but that their actual nutritional contribution to animal nutrition remains variable and strongly dependent on pedoclimatic conditions, as well as on sward composition and management. The trials highlight a potential for reducing concentrate feed inputs, provided that outdoor runs are managed with fine technical control. Outdoor runs therefore appear to be a lever for optimizing systems, to be used as a complement to concentrate-based feeding rather than as an autonomous solution.