European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen has sounded the alarm over declining livestock numbers in the EU and referred to the almost 8% drop in the EU’s livestock over the past decade as a “very threatening trend.”
The commissioner stated there is a need to “slow down or reverse” this downward trend and said that a “common vision” will be developed in a bid to secure the future of EU livestock farming.
“I think we have a very threatening trend with livestock over the past 10 years,” Commissioner Hansen told the Conference on the Vision for Agriculture and Food in Brussels on Thursday.
“Livestock [numbers] have gone down by 7.8% on average over the last 10 years and some member states are even worse.
“It is a tough job and those of you who are livestock farmers will know this. But it is a trend we need to slow down or reverse.
Tools needed
Thursday’s conference sought to hear stakeholder feedback on the major Vision for Agriculture and Food document published by the Commission in February ahead of summer's kick-off in the debate over the next CAP.
This document laid out Brussels’ intention to identify the challenges faced by the EU’s livestock farmers and to provide “appropriate measures” to address them.
“Today is the first of a series of discussions with stakeholders and relevant authorities to build a common vision for our livestock sector because the EU livestock sector requires common vision that respects the diversity of livestock production,” the commissioner said.
“This is a sector where innovation can bring tangible benefits and we will work to make the sector more competitive, resilient and sustainable taking different situations and territories into account.
“In some areas, livestock is the best thing you can do because where we have grasslands and hilly land, livestock is the best opportunity to farm that land.”
Further slump expected
The Commission’s own medium-term outlook for EU agri-food production expects dairy, beef and sheep output declines over the next 10 years, with poultry to be the only sector to buck the continuing EU-wide livestock slump.
This outlook foresees a 10% drop in EU-wide dairy cow numbers and an 8% decrease in suckler cows across the 27 member states.
Rising carcass weight trends and upward per-cow milk yields are expected to be sufficient to keep pace with shrinking EU herds.
Recent Department of Agriculture Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) figures also point towards an acceleration of the decline in Ireland's cattle herd.
Read more
EU beef output to fall over next decade
EU to hit peak milk next year before 10-year decline
Commission sounds need to make EU livestock farms more competitive
European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen has sounded the alarm over declining livestock numbers in the EU and referred to the almost 8% drop in the EU’s livestock over the past decade as a “very threatening trend.”
The commissioner stated there is a need to “slow down or reverse” this downward trend and said that a “common vision” will be developed in a bid to secure the future of EU livestock farming.
“I think we have a very threatening trend with livestock over the past 10 years,” Commissioner Hansen told the Conference on the Vision for Agriculture and Food in Brussels on Thursday.
“Livestock [numbers] have gone down by 7.8% on average over the last 10 years and some member states are even worse.
“It is a tough job and those of you who are livestock farmers will know this. But it is a trend we need to slow down or reverse.
Tools needed
Thursday’s conference sought to hear stakeholder feedback on the major Vision for Agriculture and Food document published by the Commission in February ahead of summer's kick-off in the debate over the next CAP.
This document laid out Brussels’ intention to identify the challenges faced by the EU’s livestock farmers and to provide “appropriate measures” to address them.
“Today is the first of a series of discussions with stakeholders and relevant authorities to build a common vision for our livestock sector because the EU livestock sector requires common vision that respects the diversity of livestock production,” the commissioner said.
“This is a sector where innovation can bring tangible benefits and we will work to make the sector more competitive, resilient and sustainable taking different situations and territories into account.
“In some areas, livestock is the best thing you can do because where we have grasslands and hilly land, livestock is the best opportunity to farm that land.”
Further slump expected
The Commission’s own medium-term outlook for EU agri-food production expects dairy, beef and sheep output declines over the next 10 years, with poultry to be the only sector to buck the continuing EU-wide livestock slump.
This outlook foresees a 10% drop in EU-wide dairy cow numbers and an 8% decrease in suckler cows across the 27 member states.
Rising carcass weight trends and upward per-cow milk yields are expected to be sufficient to keep pace with shrinking EU herds.
Recent Department of Agriculture Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) figures also point towards an acceleration of the decline in Ireland's cattle herd.
Read more
EU beef output to fall over next decade
EU to hit peak milk next year before 10-year decline
Commission sounds need to make EU livestock farms more competitive
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