Summary

Meat and milk production by feeding animals hay (without silage) is a traditional farming method which is in decline. Ensuring that this type of farming does not disappear is very important since it has minimum environmental impact and limited labour requirements. 

An EIP Operational Group was set up to establish a stable system of production, processing, promotion and marketing of hay fed meats and milk, and to develop a collective brand (SENENO) to increase the recognition and market penetration of the products.

Results

The demand for hay fed products is increasing, and most small providers do not have any surplus products. 

At the time of the project application in 2018, approximately ten breeders in Slovenia produced hay fed meat and milk. In the last year of the project, hay fed meat and milk were being produced on approximately 30 farms. It is expected that 100 farms will produce hay fed meat and milk on approximately 2 000 hectares (ha) before the end of the project.

Some 27 farms are included in hay fed milk certification, four new farms were included in the certification programme with production and processing in 2020, and two were included in production.