Prof Dr Bernhard Hörning is another personality leaving the university for retirement. His impressive professional career and his commitment to research and teaching on organic livestock farming have left their mark on generations of students.

Having been influenced by his time on his grandfather's farm and his civilian service as a farm assistant, he studied at the University of Kassel. His project work and diploma thesis focussed on beavers and brown bears, which were rare at the time. In his doctorate, Prof Dr Hörning dealt with dairy cattle barns. This was followed by a habilitation on the subject of species-appropriate livestock farming systems and consultancy work for the association Beratung Artgerechte Tierhaltung e. V. with around 200 consultations and 100 lectures, as well as management of the working group on agricultural economy livestock and involvement in research projects. In Witzenhausen, Bernhard Hörning researched alternatives in animal breeding. 20 years ago, he was appointed to HNEE, where he played a formative role in the development of organic farming degree programmes. Prof Dr Bernhard Hörning has supervised 933 students, 200 theses and seven doctorates. The list of publications is 360 long. In addition, there are 250 lectures and several expert opinions on improving livestock farming and animal welfare, as well as 25 self-initiated and organised conferences. On topics such as tethering, cage housing for laying hens or slatted floors for fattening pigs, Prof. Dr Bernhard Hörning accompanied science, politics and agriculture with scientifically sound, critical and clear positions on the development of animal welfare in livestock farming. In 1984, a total of 0.1% of farms were organic. At the end of his time at HNEE, 11.2% of all farms were organic. This includes his contribution to improving livestock farming on farms. In his Last Lecture, Prof Dr Bernhard Hörning once again emphasised the importance of animal welfare. He linked the question of more animal welfare in agriculture with the demand for all social groups from consumers, politics, trade, civil society, NGOs and agriculture to take responsibility. His work in research and teaching can be seen as a successful contribution to the expansion of species-appropriate husbandry and animal welfare in agriculture. Prof Dr Hörning will remain in the region and will certainly be visible with one or two positions on improving animal welfare.
All the best!

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