Setting sustainable livestock farming on a strong footing

Livestock farming employs around seven million people across the EU, often in areas with few other economic opportunities. It generates €400 billion in annual turnover. But it is a sector under pressure, facing low profitability and rising costs, changing market conditions, and outbreaks of animal diseases. The European Commission has introduced a new strategy for the livestock sector to ensure that farmers can address such challenges sustainably in the long term.

The strategy helps farmers rely less on imports and more on domestic resources, reduce emissions, preserve food safety and improve animal welfare. It sets out five priorities to achieve this:

• Crisis preparedness. Reduce risk exposure through new risk-management tools and enable farmers to recover more quickly after a crisis. Support EU countries in managing the impact of animal diseases to strengthen prevention, early detection and early action.
• Competitiveness in the EU and globally. Boost profitability and uptake of innovation, as well as bolster competitiveness and sustainability. Explore how access to finance can facilitate the transition to cage-free systems and support permitting procedures, circularity, bioeconomy, and biomass valorisation. Ensure fair income of farmers.
• Sustainability. Introduce measures to improve animal welfare through targeted revisions for laying hens, young chickens and pigs, accompanied by adequate transition periods and financial support. Develop harmonised methods for calculating livestock emissions at farm level, climate mitigation practices, and nutrient management.
• Fit for all farms and regions. Work with EU countries on a plan to bring back sustainable livestock production to vulnerable regions. Develop a roadmap for low-capacity and/or mobile slaughterhouses to reduce animal transport and regenerate local economies.
• Excellence. Make the EU's excellence in livestock production more visible and rewarding throughstrengthened EU origin labelling and quality recognition.

The livestock strategy also comes out with a protein action plan that aims to increase the supply and use of EU-grown protein. In 2025, only 25% of the oilseeds and protein crops used to feed animals in the EU were produced inside the EU. The plan aims to increase the share to 35% by 2035.

For more information

Questions and answers

Factsheet

Animal health - Food Safety - European Commission

Animal welfare - Food Safety - European Commission

EU Livestock Strategy - Agriculture and rural development

Press release: Commission sets the direction for prosperous livestock sector and a self-sufficient protein system