EU Livestock Strategy and Protein Plan recognise the value of territorial livestock systems but must go further on fair prices, market regulation and food sovereignty

ECVC welcomes several elements, notably:

However, the strategy and the plan remain insufficient if they do not address the structural causes of the crisis facing the livestock sector. While both documents place strong emphasis on competitiveness, investment and technological innovation, they do not provide adequate answers on fair prices, market regulation and the growing concentration of livestock production. They also fail to propose effective mechanisms to prevent market crises and overproduction and to ensure fair and remunerative prices for farmers. The concentration of livestock production also contributes to environmental challenges such as nutrient imbalances, water pollution and increasing pressure on territories. Both the Livestock Strategy and the Protein Plan rely heavily on technological solutions, including digitalisation, genomics, carbon farming, biomethane and new genomic techniques (NGTs), while giving insufficient attention to the structural changes needed to build resilient and agroecological livestock systems. For ECVC, reducing Europe’s strategic dependencies should not lead to new dependencies on patented seeds, genetic resources and corporate-controlled technologies. Resilience must be built through biodiversity, farmer-managed breeding, locally adapted breeds and varieties, and stronger farmer autonomy.

For ECVC, the future of livestock farming in Europe depends on maintaining farmers across territories, strengthening territorial food systems and ensuring fair livelihoods. The success of the Livestock Strategy and Protein Plan should not be measured by export volumes, productivity gains or the concentration of production, but by their capacity to support more farmers, stronger territorial livestock systems, healthier ecosystems and greater food sovereignty across Europe.