1st Thematic Group meeting on the CAP's Role in Supporting Sustainable and Competitive Livestock Systems
- CAP Implementation
- Agricultural Production
- CAP Strategic Plans
- Climate and Climate Change
- Environment
- Food Supply Chain
- Sustainability
The Thematic Group (TG) meeting provided an initial opportunity to discuss pathways to make livestock systems more sustainable while remaining competitive.
- Programming period: 2023-2027
Page contents
Event information
- Date: 29 January 2026
- Location: Brussels
- Organisers: EU CAP Network, CAP Implementation Contact Point (CAPI CP)
- Participants: 52 participants from 18 EU Member States, including Managing Authorities (MAs), regional/local authorities, farming organisations, National CAP Networks, Operational Groups, other stakeholder organisations, research and universities, advisory services and the European Commission (DG AGRI).
- Outcomes: Sharing of examples and developing pathways for sustainable and competitive livestock systems
- Web page: 1st meeting of the Thematic Group on the CAP's Role in Supporting Sustainable and Competitive Livestock Systems
In the first meeting of the Thematic Group (TG), members looked at the diversity of livestock production systems, related challenges and pathways to make them more sustainable and competitive.
Setting the scene – Diversity of livestock systems
In a context-setting presentation, Catherine Pfeiffer (FiBL) provided an overview of the structural trends and diversity of livestock systems in the EU. Recent analysis from the Pathways project has identified 52 dominant ruminant systems in the EU. These provide differing levels of ecosystem service, depending on their management, including food as well as environmental and cultural services (e.g. landscape). She highlighted four different narratives on how to achieve greater sustainability within livestock systems. Each narrative emphasises different priorities, yet they all face the same challenges: climate change, price volatility, demand for livestock products and animal diseases.
Michele Nori and Davide Nicomedo (European Commission (EC) - DG AGRI) reinforced the multiple challenges facing the sector, highlighting also the threat from large carnivores and the role that grazing can play in supporting fire prevention. Michele stressed that developing policy in this area is not easy, seeking to balance environmental and climate needs with competitiveness. He outlined how the current CAP and future proposals can support sustainable livestock systems and highlighted the commitments in the Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food as well as the work of the livestock workstream. Davide flagged that the discussions from this TG would feed into the preparation of the Commission's forthcoming livestock strategy, for which a call for evidence would also be launched shortly.
Five TG members introduced examples of how they were promoting greater sustainability within livestock systems:
Jacopo Goracci (Farmer, Italy) introduced his mixed organic farm in southern Tuscany (heritage breeds of beef and pigs predominantly). A large part of the farm is wooded. They produce food and all the feed for the livestock. To remain economically viable, they have diversified into other added-value businesses, such as an on-farm shop and restaurant, which provide an important part of their income. They also engage in Operational Groups and research projects to discuss and to trial innovative approaches. A key challenge is remaining competitive across all income streams.
Silvopastoral farming in Italy, Jacopo Goracci
(PDF – 5.1 MB)
Axel Euverte (Farmer, France) introduced his organic dairy farm in Western France. As a newcomer to farming, he highlighted that his objectives were to make a living, to care for the environment, and to have a good work/life balance. To do this, cooperation with other like-minded farmers is critical, particularly for sharing equipment, and for a support network to rely on and learn more about sustainable practices. His approach provides income similar to a typical farm – although his production (output) is lower, so are his costs, thanks to a low-investment, low-risk system. As a result, he experiences fewer fluctuations in income.
Organic dairy farming in Britany, Axel Euverte
(PDF – 2.45 MB)
Georgiana-Cătălina Rogozan (Highclere Consulting, Romania) shared the main challenges facing livestock farming in mountain areas in Romania: physical constraints; issues with land tenure and registration, with less than a quarter of land in mountain areas registered in the land registry; and market access due to small farmers not being able to provide the quantity or regular supply required by supermarkets. She highlighted some solutions: product differentiation and adding value to access new markets; working in cooperatives and producer groups; and taking advantage of decentralised public procurement initiatives.
Extensive mountain farming, Georgiana-Cătălina Rogozan
(PDF – 2.62 MB)
Michael Gleeson (MA, Ireland) stressed the importance of the livestock sector to the rural as well as the national economy, with meat, cheese and butter all being important exports. The sector is vulnerable to external shocks, and therefore, environmental and economic sustainability have to be considered in tandem. He described the three main Irish CAP support schemes available: the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme, the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme and the Sheep Improvement Scheme.
Irish schemes for sustainable livestock production, Michael G. Gleeson
(PDF – 2.69 MB)
Paolo Ferrari (Research Centre for Animal Production, Italy) presented findings from research on the relationship between pig production methods and meat quality. The pros and cons were analysed against four factors: the breed, the type of feed, the space provided and environmental enrichment. Results showed that extensive systems offer opportunities to differentiate products in terms of nutritional quality and taste, as well as their environmental benefits.
Sustainability considerations for pig and broiler production, Paolo Ferrari
(PDF – 2.2 MB)
Group discussion: challenges and possible solutions
In small groups, TG members reflected on the challenges and opportunities to reduce the environmental and climate footprints of livestock systems while keeping them profitable. Some of the main challenges and solutions identified were:
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Developing pathways for sustainable and competitive livestock systems in the EU
TG members were divided into three groups to discuss the range of possible pathways for different types of livestock systems (intensive, extensive and mixed systems) to transition towards becoming more sustainable while remaining competitive.
Many of the components of the pathways identified during this interactive session were common across all livestock systems, although with different emphases. The main points identified were:
Intensive systems (both high stocking density with grassland and indoor/confined (land-less)):
- Strengthening feed autonomy and circularity (including improved manure and nutrient management) can reduce environmental impacts while lowering exposure to volatile market prices.
- Adopting technological innovations should demonstrate tangible benefits for both farmers and animals; successful implementation must be supported by awareness-raising efforts and targeted capacity building.
- Redesigning production systems can help address key animal welfare challenges; showcasing clear welfare improvements is essential to ensure acceptance and widespread uptake.
- Diversifying farm outputs (e.g. through improved valorisation of dairy calves or alternative product streams) can enhance overall economic resilience and contribute to more sustainable system performance.
- Using high-quality data can improve on-farm decision-making, increase transparency across the value chain, and support credible labelling initiatives.
Extensive systems (low stocking density on grassland):
- The way the land is managed matters to ensure it is beneficial for biodiversity and other environmental purposes, while also producing livestock products.
- There are diverse ways to access markets – both through cooperatives/producer groups, as well as through short supply chains but finding ways to make products distinctive and marketing their environmental credentials helps add value.
- Cooperation is key both for managing the land (e.g. machinery sharing) and for marketing.
- Societal support for livestock systems that produce ecosystems should be increased – this requires consumer education, school programmes, etc.
- ‘Rural renaissance’ – the role of livestock systems in rural areas more broadly should be recognised, helping keep these areas vibrant, supporting local services and keeping people in more remote areas.
Mixed systems (integrated systems where crops and livestock are produced in combination):
- Using the right breed for the right environment means that livestock will be more resilient.
- To improve access to grazing areas, consideration should be given to infrastructure improvements and land exchanges.
- Local market initiatives and diversification activities are often important to help mixed systems be profitable and benefit from their added value.
- Data is important to see how systems are performing and should be made transparent and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable).
- Activities to demonstrate the benefits of mixed livestock systems to consumers (e.g. open farms) are important.
Next steps
Informal follow-up activities will be arranged in February/March to further develop the selection of identified pathways. The second TG meeting will take place on 15-16 April in Lisbon, Portugal. TG members will explore options for making sustainable livestock pathways a reality, discuss the role the CAP can play and visit a livestock farm.