Four European countries sign a manifesto in favor of extensive livestock farming

Four European countries sign a manifesto in favor of extensive livestock farming asimon Mon, 09/26/2022 - 08:34

• The LIFE program of the European Union promotes the manifesto "More Extensive Livestock, more Biodiversity for Europe"
• Spain is among the adhered countries
• The manifesto proposes ten support measures so that this production system continues to provide benefits not only to biodiversity, but also to the development of rural territories.

Four European countries sign a manifesto in favor of extensive livestock farming

The fires that occurred last summer in Spain put on the table the possibility of controlling the vegetation of forests and rural territories through livestock. The new climatic contingencies have shown that traditional livestock activity improves soil fertility and prevents its erosion, thus contributing to mitigating climate change.

For all this, the LIFE LiveAdapt project , within the framework of the celebration of the 30 years of the European LIFE Programme , has brought together ten European projects that work on the development and promotion of extensive livestock farming in the Mediterranean to launch the manifesto “More Extensive Livestock Farming, more Biodiversity for Europe . ”

Specifically, the participating projects belong to Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece and are: LIFE LiveAdapt , LIFE Montado Adapt , LIFE Cañadas , LIFE Desert Adapt , LIFE Regenerate , LIFE AgriAdapt , LIFE Scrubsnet , LIFE Landscape Fire Project , LIFE Maronesa and LIFE NAdapta-CC IP .

Manifest

The battery of measures proposed by these four countries is aimed at:

• Preventing forest fires
• Mitigation and adaptation to climate change
• The fight against depopulation

Thus, the document presents the five main reasons to promote extensive livestock farming in Europe and proposes ten measures to support this production system so that it continues to provide benefits to biodiversity, the resilience of the territories and the local communities that depend on it. .

A) Benefits of extensive livestock farming:

1. Maintains and increases biological and landscape diversity .
2. Improves food security and sovereignty .
3. It offers diverse and relevant ecosystem services .
4. Improves animal welfare .
5. It is a fundamental tool for adaptation and mitigation to climate change .

B) Support measures

1. Recognition and enhancement of the environmental services generated by extensive livestock farming : economic compensation for the services provided, both by society and by public and community organizations, which will determine their profitability.
2. Application of public policies to support grazing : reduction of bureaucracy and adaptation of public policies to the specific needs of extensive livestock farming.
3. Technical support for producers: improvement of training and information.
4. Recognition of the profession of pastors: by dignifying the office, the profession is preserved.
5. Valuation of extensive production systems and improvement of value chains: raise society's awareness about the differential values of extensive livestock farming compared to other forms of animal production.
6. Education and awareness about the consumption of products: both for their environmental and social benefits and for their best nutritional characteristics.
7. Support for transhumance: both for its cultural values and for its potential for adaptation to climate change.
8. Promote shared knowledge, research

science and training of the livestock sector: equal investment in innovation and knowledge transfer within the sector.

9. Multi-agent participation: foster multidisciplinary networks within the sector.

10. Territorial management: incorporate the activity of extensive livestock farming into the territorial planning and management instruments, including Protected Natural Spaces, the Natura 2000 Network and fire prevention.

The manifesto "More Extensive Livestock, more Biodiversity for Europe" can be consulted here .