Europe is committed to strengthening the livestock business to compete with Mercosur

Times have changed. The political parties least concerned about the climate crisis are in charge (also some that deny it, most of them from the extreme right) and the bloc also gives more and more importance to its strategic autonomy. Cows, pigs and chickens go from being enemies of the climate to sources of European proteins, which do not have to be imported.

The bet now is to expand the livestock business. The European Commission launches a strategy to strengthen the sector and remembers that it supports seven million jobs on the continent, represents 40% of the added value of the entire European primary sector and generates 400,000 million euros per year. In addition, the strategy must serve to establish population in rural areas that are rapidly losing it.

The European agreement with Mercosur, like others, has assigned quotas that the South American bloc will be able to continue exporting to Europe. But the promotion of own livestock farming, hand in hand with campaigns for the population to maintain this strategic autonomy (“Buy European”) increases competition against external producers, such as those of Mercosur.

Europe is a powerful meat exporter. Last year it exported animal products worth 53 billion euros when it only imported 16 billion euros. The promotion of European livestock farming, which already receives funds from the Common Agricultural Policy, will make it a more powerful competitor in third markets, where European products compete with those of Mercosur.

The European Union Livestock Strategy is a kind of medium and long-term roadmap to strengthen the sector by making it more resilient, more competitive and more sustainable. Brussels understands that it is an essential sector for both food security and the economy and the development of rural regions.

The report makes a diagnosis of the situation of the sector and its problems, such as the volatility of prices in wholesale markets, the climate crisis, the increase in production costs, animal diseases and dependence on imported feed rich in proteins.

and establishes five priorities for the next few years. The first is to strengthen the sector to better resist crises, for example giving it more funds to prevent and control animal diseases, digitalizing farms and improving its adaptation to the climate crisis.

The second is improve competitiveness of the sector, financing investments in sustainability and animal welfare and promoting the international promotion of European livestock products.

The third search reduce environmental footprint despite the fact that it aims to increase the European livestock herd. There are going to be reviews of the regulations on animal welfare, to make them more flexible.

The fourth will help ranchers in rural and remote areas so that they have better access to slaughterhouses and do not abandon their lands. The fifth and last will encourage citizens to easily detect European products, to push them towards them, through special labeling systems that recognize their origin.

At the same time, these livestock must be fed by reducing imports of their nutrition. That is why a Protein Action Plan is also approved, to increase European production of oilseeds and protein crops. This, Brussels estimates, will reinforce the autonomy of the bloc as it will make it less dependent on imports.