The impoverishment of European livestock farming, which causes economic, social, and environmental damage, must be stopped. A haemorrhage of farms is hitting Italy hard, where only the poultry sector is managing to keep up.

Among the problems that the new executive of the European Union (EU) will have to face is the progressive decline in meat production in the 27 partner countries. With Italy at the top of the list. This situation should concern everyone, even those who have given up eating meat. There is more than one reason for this, as we shall see. But let’s take things in order, starting with the figures from a recent analysis of the future of agriculture published by the European Commission DG Agriculture and Rural Development.

The document confirms that European beef production fell by 3.9% in 2023. Even countries such as Spain and Ireland, which have been developing beef production for years, have reversed course. This trend is set to continue this year, with a further 2.3% drop in meat availability forecast for the EU. There has also been a decline in the number of suckler cows, a “category” that ideally includes farms encouraged by EU green policies.

The cattle sector

The case of Italy stands out above all others, where the beef sector has shrunk by 17% in a year, with a loss of 127,000 tonnes. This is due to the “fragility” of our beef supply chain, which relies heavily on imports of calves that are reared in our farms until the end of the production cycle. France and Poland, our main suppliers of calves, have reduced their availability, resulting in a significant reduction in beef production in our country.

In Italy, it is not only the decline in beef production that should be a cause for concern but also the progressive erosion of our animal heritage. From 2010 to date, more than 68,000 farms have closed their doors, while the number of animals reared has fallen by 263,000, or almost 5%, over the same period.

The pig sector

The situation is similar, if not worse, for pigs. The fall is 6.6% and concerns all countries, with the sole exception of Bulgaria. However, some indicators leave room for a possible recovery for this sector, but only towards the end of the year. They provided that the African Swine Fever emergency, affecting an increasing number of European countries, does not complicate the situation.

The evolution of international markets also weighs on the sector: China has reduced its imports, while the EU has lost competitiveness in important export markets, such as the US, Japan, and Australia. The number of pig farms in Italy has fallen; there are now just over one hundred thousand, compared with 142 thousand about ten years ago. The decline in purchasing power, which is changing consumer preferences, is affecting the development of the sector in our country. This is the case, for example, with raw ham, which is declining and giving way to cooked ham, which is growing strongly.

The poultry sector

The only positive sign was for European poultry meat, which, after two years of difficulties, regained momentum in 2023 with growth of 2.1%. This is thanks to the sector’s ability to adapt relatively quickly to changes in consumption and the efficiency of the supply chain, which can offer a democratic, quality and safe product at competitive prices. It is no coincidence that poultry meat is the most consumed in the world and that Italy is on the same path.

Our country’s poultry meat production increased by 7.7% in 2023, with a self-sufficiency rate of 105.5%. The number of farms is increasing, but the number of chickens raised is decreasing due to the progressive adaptation to animal welfare requirements. It is also worth noting that the use of enriched cages for egg production is decreasing while using free-range systems is increasing.

Possible consequences of the impoverishment of European livestock farming

Faced with this progressive impoverishment of European livestock farming, we must ask ourselves what the consequences could be, starting with the growing demand for protein from an increasingly populated world. As confirmed by the FAO and the OECD, the production of rice, wheat and maise, the main cereals in the human diet, could increase by 20%, but animal production will also have to increase by 35%.

It should not be forgotten that many plant-based foods are not available everywhere. However, in areas that cannot produce food for direct human consumption, farms can be set up to convert plant essences that would otherwise be of no nutritional interest into valuable proteins.

The absence of animals is a reason for abandoning the land and depopulating marginal areas, with consequences for the degradation of forests and the neglect of those water regulation works that slow down hydrogeological instability. Because the farmer, particularly the breeder, is a guardian of the environment and territory, a role which, not by chance, has been recognised in Italy by a recent law.

There is enough to invite those in charge of agricultural policy to implement suitable instruments to reverse a path impoverishing us of resources whose strategic value is no longer worth remembering. The ideological vision of environmental protection guiding these decisions is proving ineffective. It is possible to reconcile the goals of environmental and economic sustainability. Livestock production chains have long since risen to the challenge, and the results are there. To obstruct their progress would be culpable.