EU Adopts Measures to Enhance Livestock Production

As a result of various animal diseases that struck the EU, livestock production is decreasing, thereby causing a huge loss. Therefore, the EU is introducing preventive measures to accelerate growth.

FREMONT, CA: Rising production costs in all agricultural sectors, especially in livestock, are posing serious issues to the European Union. It is leading to demands for higher producer prices and improved farm incomes. The UK's livestock sectors saw different opportunities as a result of Brexit. However, in Ireland, a vote by MEPs to prohibit the transportation of very young animals has resulted in an economic crisis for farmers. The committee voted in favour of transporting meat and having more control over exports.

Various animal diseases such as influenza viruses, bird flu, African swine fever, bovine respiratory diseases, and COVID-19 were observed in European livestock farming. The spread of influenza viruses across 26 countries resulted in 400 outbreaks in livestock and 600 cases in wildlife and severe loss. Consequently, the energy and feed costs for animal products are inconsistent. This has even led to many associations requesting emergency aid in France, Ireland, and Poland.

Therefore, proper treatment of farm animals is becoming increasingly important to the consumer. Consequently, strict biosecurity measures and disease control zones were classified and necessary procedures were taken. Animal health companies are providing innovative advancements in treatment processes. They have developed 49 new vaccines as part of an industry-wide strategy to help reduce the need for antibiotics. Industries have even invented preventive products and 17 new diagnostic tools.

The new government in Germany will be introducing mandatory animal welfare labels for meat from 2022 to improve farm animal welfare. On the other hand, the European Commission has presented its carbon farming initiative to increase the amount of carbon dioxide stored in the soil. This carbon farming proposal will reward farmers for managing and eliminating carbon, generate income for land managers, and eventually achieve climate neutrality in the land sector by 2035.

With the help of various operators, France has managed to reduce methane emissions from livestock since the 1990s. However, to pursue these methane reduction objectives measures are yet to be prioritised. This includes changes in the livestock production system that have to be made and the implementation of actions on the farm. However, the European Commission’s report on the European Union’s Agricultural Outlook for 2021-31 did not mention the potential impact of the measures in its Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies. Meat and dairy markets are observed to change by sustainability, social and health issues in terms of product types and consumption patterns in the coming decades. Therefore, to prevent the decrease in European livestock production, countries are employing various precautions and measures to enhance growth.