Boehringer Ingelheim kicks off a project based on behavioral science to improve cattle well-being

Ingelheim, Germany, 17 February 2020 – For over 12 years, Boehringer Ingelheim has been leading the way in promoting farm animal well-being, mainly through organizing the annual Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-being, This event brings together over 100 industry experts to discuss the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the industry, while also striving to raise the focus on cattle pain and well-being. 

Now, together with global innovation consultancy Innovia Technology, an innovative project has been initiated with the aim of acquiring a deeper understanding of the human behaviors that impact cattle well-being. The project involves gathering information from veterinarians and farmers from around the world on farming practices and routine pain management interventions. To be able to improve animal well-being, we first need to understand the needs of the animal and how they are affected by human behavior. However, in order to effect change, we ultimately need to understand the behavior of people.

Behavioral science – the understanding of how and why people behave in certain ways – could be helpful. The theories that underpin behavioral science can help in many stages along this journey. In the context of farm animal well-being, it can help get to the root causes of what people do and why they do it.

“With the involvement of Innovia’s expertise, we expect to better understand farmers’ behavior and motivations and analyze how their choices can affect cattle well-being. This should enable us to design interventions that target the reasons behind these behaviors and are acceptable and feasible to stakeholders,” explains Laurent Goby, senior global marketing manager at Boehringer Ingelheim’s ruminant business, who is heading up the project.

“This ambitious and innovative project aims to deliver a set of possible interventions for vets and farmers, starting with one specific area of cattle well-being. We expect that the work along the way will reveal many interesting and important aspects of pain management in cattle which may serve as a basis for practical interventions to ultimately improve cattle well-being,” he summarizes. 

Learn more about the project at www.farmanimalwellbeing.com.

This project is part of a global engagement initiative called Cattle First. Cattle First is how we at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health work with cattle farmers and cattle veterinarians. Through specific projects and case studies, this initiative aims to showcase the company’s values, passion and understanding we share with our customers as well as long-term commitment to supporting them.

Editor’s notes

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health business knows that understanding and changing the behavior of people is a relatively untapped area which offers big potential for improving farm animal well-being. The company has partnered with Innovia Technology, a Cambridge-based innovation consultancy, to obtain a deeper understanding of the human behaviors that impact farm animal well-being. The ultimate goal of this partnership is to develop a set of behavior-based interventions that may improve cattle well-being. The project has a novel and ambitious scope, and the potential to make a significant impact on animal well-being.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Business Unit

Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world, with net sales of almost 4 billion euros in 2018 and presence in more than 150 markets.

Across the globe, our 10,000 employees create the future of animal wellbeing through their daily work. We believe in prevention over treatment and therefore, we focus on developing innovative solutions in the field of vaccines, parasiticides and therapeutics. With a large portfolio of advanced, preventive healthcare products, tools and services, we support our customers in taking care of the health of their animals.

For more information visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/overview.

Boehringer Ingelheim

Improving the health of humans and animals is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around 17.5 billion euros. R&D expenditure of almost 3.2 billion euros, corresponded to 18.1 per cent of net sales.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment.

More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: http://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Innovia Technology

Innovia Technology is a Cambridge-based consultancy specialising in early-stage, breakthrough innovation.

At Innovia, the role of behavioural science is critical because it enables a deeper understanding of what drives people to do what they do (not just what they say they do) and to lay the foundations for richer, broader innovations. We use psychological theory and evidence to develop a range of behaviour change solutions that have the best chance of success.

Innovia’s consultants come from a wide range of disciplines including physics, chemistry, biological sciences, psychological sciences, veterinary sciences, engineering and design.

More information on Innovia Technology can be found on: www.innoviatech.com.

Intended audiences:

This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business.