The European Commission has adopted a new Livestock Strategy that marks a significant shift in its approach over the past decade by recognizing livestock production as a strategic sector for food security, competitiveness, and the development of rural areas.
The initiative aims to reverse the decline of livestock production across Europe while strengthening the bloc's self-sufficiency in protein crops for animal feed.
The strategy is built around five priorities: improving preparedness for animal health crises, strengthening the sector's competitiveness, advancing sustainability and animal welfare, supporting livestock production in regions where it is in decline, and enhancing recognition of the quality of European livestock products. In parallel, the Commission unveiled a Protein Action Plan aimed at reducing the EU's dependence on imported feed raw materials.
Presenting the strategy, European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto summarized the new vision by stating that "livestock is not only about agriculture; it is about competitiveness, food security, our territories, and Europe's future." He added that the strategy is intended to ensure the sector "thrives" despite the challenges posed by international competition, profitability, animal welfare, and sustainability requirements.
The policy shift follows several years of farmer protests across Europe, during which producers criticized the growing weight of environmental regulations on farm profitability. The new strategy reflects part of those concerns by once again placing competitiveness, food security, and rural development among the key priorities of the EU's agricultural policy.
According to USDA data, EU beef production has declined by 500,000 tonnes carcass weight equivalent over the past decade, falling from 6.9 million to 6.4 million tonnes.
