Beyond the Headlines
In this section we share opinion pieces from scientists, experts and livestock farmers, as well as letters of interest.
After cultured meat and fish, artificial milk is coming
Milk, which already has many plant alternatives thanks to the vegan lobby, is now faced with another artificial...
Sustainable Animal Feeding Strategies
The European livestock sector faces great challenges: improving its environmental performance and enhancing animal...
The scapecow
It's always easy to blame the cows for climate change and to compare cattle to some of the more polluting industries,...
FAO published its first "Global Assessment of Soil Carbon in Grasslands"
After oceans, soils are the second largest carbon pool on Earth, and they play a vital role in global climate change...
EAAP: "Promoting animal health and welfare via pathogens control"
Animal health and welfare are research themes with a multispecies nature, supported by several underlying veterinary...
FAO: livestock is important in healthy diets and sustainable food systems
Livestock is important for ensuring healthy diets and sustainable food systems. That’s a key statement that emerged...
The importance of an adequate socio-economic impact assessment for the animal welfare legislative reform
Representatives of the European livestock value chain came together to address a letter to the EU Commissioners for...
Micronutrient shortfalls of the EAT-Lancet diet
The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet is lacking in nutrients. A new study estimates all nutritional and micronutrient...
Lab-grown meat: 53 hazards identified by FAO-WHO
Regarding food today, a key question is: is lab-grown meat safe? According to a new in-depth analysis by FAO and a WHO...
The societal role of meat and livestock. What the science says
Scientific papers based on the Dublin Summit presentations have just been published in a peer-reviewed edition of...
Leather is more sustainable than its plastic alternatives
Following the 2022 Portuguese ban of the term "Vegan leather" to protect real leather companies and their products from...
Scientists argue high-yield livestock farming wrongly blamed for increased risk of pandemics
It is not indoor livestock farming, or the so-called "intensive" farming, that increases the risk of pandemics —...
Good practices for animal welfare in aquaculture
Fish are the most numerous and varied vertebrates, with over 33,000 species spread across all aquatic ecosystems. Fish...
Plant-based drinks cannot replace milk
Plant-based drinks are not a suitable alternative to milk, as they have very different nutrient compositions. This...
The Role of Animal-Source Foods in Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets
Scientific and political debates around the role of Animal-Source Foods in healthy and environmentally sustainable...
The importance of effective science communication
Reading and understanding a scientific study is not an easy task. Science is often reserved for professionals and...
What do citizens want when it comes to food? Rethinking the "Farm to Fork" Strategy
What do EU consumers value when buying food? The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) published the latest...
RESPECTED ITALIAN SCIENTIST POINTS OUT 5 FAKE NEWS ABOUT FAKE FOODS
Professor Giuseppe Pulina* recently shared his thoughts on what he perceives as fake news about artificial foods...
Global Burden of Disease 2019: unrealistic and non-transparent results
Studies linking red meat consumption to the onset of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are unreliable and...
EMA: -47% decrease in animal antibiotics sales in the past ten years
Annual sales of antibiotics in the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK have almost halved in ten years, from 2011 to 2021....
Iron deficiency and "hidden hunger": micronutrient malnutrition also affects high-income countries
Iron Deficiency Day - held annually on 26 November - was created to raise awareness of the importance of iron for our...
LIFE Green Sheep Project: reducing the carbon footprint of sheep farming
In the fight against climate change, speeches and silent actions produce effects. The LIFE Green Sheep Project...
AMR doesn't respect borders: an interview with Nancy De Briyne, FVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY5l0mJyR5M In the veterinary field, antibiotics represent a fundamental means for...
The ECI petition to protect our rural livelihoods
Europe has many cultural traditions linked to its agricultural, rural-based communities and European citizens take...
How does carbon farming work? A concrete example from Belgium
In the EU, nowadays, we hear a lot about carbon farming. Currently, this topic is a buzzword surrounding European...
The importance of responsible animal breeding
Raising healthy and robust animals with improved animal welfare is a priority in modern livestock farming. By improving...
Aquaculture: sustainable food production, preserving natural marine and freshwater habitats
Aquaculture is very important for producing food sustainably and safely without destroying natural marine and...
The Dublin Declaration: the call from the scientific community for an evidence-based debate on meat
Photo by Dr. Kaye Burgess, Teagasc Food On Wednesday, October 19, Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture...
What is "conventional agriculture"?
What does "conventional agriculture" mean? Does it even make sense to use this undefined term in the debate about the...
EU Commission should have a balanced approach to sustainable food based on facts and science
Following the recent publication of the scoping paper “Towards sustainable food consumption”, we sent a letter to...
Switzerland: intensive livestock farming will not be banned
Animal welfare associations' collective attempt to ban industrial livestock farming in Switzerland proved unsuccessful....
"Plant-based substitutes of meat? The biggest failure in food industry history."
Plant-based meat substitutes are not attracting a majority of consumers. Indeed, they may be the biggest failure...
Milk production and methane emissions: the virtuous case of Finland
Finland is becoming more efficient in milk production while reducing methane emissions. It is what emerges from the...
It is totally unreasonable to include the agricultural sector in the Industrial Emission Directive!
Article by Ronald Pirlot, Pleinchamp and translated by ELV A few months ago, the European Commission proposed to...
Sustainability a priority for the animal feed sector
In September 2020 the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation FEFAC published a Feed Sustainability Charter 2030. The...
Goodbye Cows: is a world without livestock the solution?
The total elimination of livestock farming is a triumph for animal rights fanatics and some urban environmentalists....
Animal husbandry and circular economy: the importance of former foodstuff
An overlooked fact about the livestock sector and the protection of the environment and natural resources is that:...
Circular Feed: key to sustainability
"Circular Feed" for animals is a relatively recent concept, even though the European feed industry has always recovered...
Not only chickpeas, here's the hummus made with turkey meat
Indykpol is a Polish company established in 1991, which specializes in breeding and fattening turkeys and producing and...
Marije Klever: "Raising animals is not against nature but with nature"
While the farmers' protest in the Netherlands rages on against government plans to reduce crops and livestock in order...
Following South Africa, France bans meat designations for plant-based products
Last week, France published a decree on "meat sounding" products targeting the marketing of plant-based/cultured...
South Africa bans "meaty" denominations for plant-based foods
South Africa bans "meaty" denominations for plant-based foods In a move to protect authentic meat products from...
"Cultured meat": A media story with little regard for academic debate?
Since the launch of "Cultured Meat" a decade ago with the presentation on screens of the first “lab-grown burger”,...
Animal welfare: science-based evidence must prevail over emotions
The European Commission has been promoting animal welfare for over 40 years, constantly improving the conditions of...
Carbon Farming: behind the concept, what are the concrete opportunities for livestock farming?
Carbon farming is a new buzzword these days in Brussels, but what are we really talking about? In short, most people...
SUSTAINABLE, RESPONSIBLE AND CONSCIENTIOUS FAMILY FARMING AND LIVESTOCK FARMING
The turbulent times we are going through must make us aware of the importance of shoring up our strengths and...
49% of UK Gen Z ashamed to consume animal products in public
Gen-z in the UK ashamed of consuming milk and animal products in public Half of Gen Z in the UK is ashamed to...
Animal rights activists didn't pay the money promised
Do you remember the Danish chickens? The story about noise vs transparency and promises vs actions? A quick recap: last...
European livestock farming shouldering its responsibility to keep antibiotics working
Veterinary care on livestock farm European farmers and veterinarians are making great efforts to reduce the need to...
REPowerEU: EU recognises key role of European livestock farming in our energy independence
With the escalation of tensions following the war in Ukraine, the EU needs to break its energy dependency on Russian...
“Vegan leather” - Portugal says no and here's why
In a decision released last week, Portuguese authorities banned the term "vegan leather" - the latest story in a...
"Milck" is neither milk, nor Milch: German court strengthens consumer protection
Healthy food. Dairy products on the table Something is moving in the area of consumer protection. In several legal...
Noise VS Transparency, Promises VS Actions, A Story From Denmark
On the 5th of November 2021 the animal rights NGO “Anima” launched a challenge for the Danish...
Opinion Piece - by Jean-Pierre Fleury
Another week of debate on the Farm to Fork studies in Brussels ends with…the need for more studies! Brussels,...
Opinion piece from Somos Ganaderia on #MenosCarneMásVida
(See original opinion in Spanish) 21 July 2021 - The interbranch meat organisations of Spain, representing hundreds...
Opinion Piece - What Greenpeace’s latest report won’t tell you about the EU Promotion Policy
Opinion Piece by European Livestock Voice 23 April 2021 Opinion: What Greenpeace’s latest report won’t tell...
Opinion Piece by European Livestock Voice
Opinion Piece by European Livestock Voice 14 April 2021 Opinion: Banning all “cages” for farm animals – a...
Opinion Piece by European Livestock Voice
Opinion Piece by European Livestock Voice 5 March 2021 Opinion: The European Livestock Sector’s views on the...
Opinion Piece by Johannes Charlier
Opinion Piece by Johannes Charlier
An animal health scientist’s point of view on the alleged connection between food production and COVID-19
Brussels, 14 May 2020 - The crisis is a fact, the way out uncertain. We see the deadly virus as the very real and almost only truth and act accordingly. Almost every social, commercial and political act today starts from the COVID-perspective. The European Commission reprioritises its major research funding instrument Horizon 2020, the publication of the Commission’s Green Deal Farm to Fork Strategy is delayed and “should reflect the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to food security”.
In the meantime, pressure groups use the global crisis to push their own ideological agenda. Animal right movements, but also some scientists and politicians claim (industrial) livestock farming to have a direct link with an increased probability of disease outbreaks impacting on public health.
So the explicit question follows: “Is there a link between the way we rear livestock in Europe and infectious disease outbreaks in humans?”. The short answer is “no”.
This opinion piece is authored by Johannes Charlier,
Project manager of DISCONTOOLS, a database with research gaps for infectious disease control in animals and founding manager of the animal health research & consulting agency Kreavet.
Opinion Piece by Joe Healy
Opinion Piece by Joe Healy
A European tax on meat: a proposal that could be as simplistic as counterproductive!
Brussels, 19 May 2020 – Last February in Brussels, the Dutch TAPP coalition (True Animal Protein Price) launched a new report from within the European Parliament proposing to introduce a tax on meat products. On paper the idea may seem simple at a first glance. Indeed, according to the proponents, with one single tax we would be able to resolve three ‘problems’: limit meat consumption in Europe, reduce European livestock and redirect specific sectors towards practices that have a lesser impact. In two words: a silver bullet!
This "silver bullet" has now reached the head of the European Commission. Tomorrow, the European Commission is planning to unveil an important part of its flagship vision on the European Green Deal - the Farm to Fork Strategy. Amongst the many things that this strategy will address are consumption patterns and consumer dietary choices, targeting more specifically the consumption of meat. As far as we are aware of, the approach considered by the Commission suggests that we stop the promotion of meat products, stop stimulating their production and impose a more targeted use of tax rules on meat.
Had livestock farmers had their say, had we taken a step back to think about this question in the context of trade agreements or European treaties, ultimately, had we taken the time to analyse this, this proposal would have seemed a lot more problematic and quite simply counterproductive. It has to be said time and time again, there is no such thing as a quick fix in farming!
This opinion piece is authored by Joe Healy,
Vice President of Copa and dairy and livestock farmer from Athenry, Co. Galway (IE).
OPEN LETTER - RECOGNISING FOOD HEROES IN THE FACE OF A PANDEMIC
RECOGNISING Food Heroes in the face of a pandemic
Brussels, 20 April 2020 - Long queues at supermarkets and food shops. Half-empty shelves. Only a few products in refrigerators. When re-stocked, the items in much demand at our supermarkets are regularly seen to be the now infamous toilet paper, followed by essential foods such as meat, milk, eggs, bread, canned goods and pasta.
Opinion piece by Prof. Frédéric LEROY
Freshly released NutriRECS consortium dietary advice updates on red and processed meats: a turning point in a...
Open Letter - European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy needs to take the specificities and assets of the EU livestock value chain that we represent into account
Open Letter - European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy needs to take the specificities and assets of the EU...
Opinion Piece by Ramón Armengol
Opinion Piece by Ramón Armengol
Farmers are fed up with false facts
Brussels, 10 October 2019 - Recently, we kicked off the European Meatthefacts campaign, which aims to dispel false information or myths about animal husbandry and meat. The aim is to refute, with scientific arguments and objective data, the countless accusations experienced by the livestock sector and to be able to show society the potential consequences for society if livestock production would end.
This opinion piece is authored by Ramón Armengol,
Vice President of Cogeca and Pig farmer (ES)
Opinion piece by European Livestock Voice
Opinon piece by European Livestock Voice
‘Climate Change’ and ‘Animal Welfare’ cannot be reduced to simple slogans
25 September 2019 - There has never been a shortage of polarisation in the debate over farm animals, but when the livestock production debate was connected to climate change the polarisation turned into stigmatisation.
All of a sudden a strong discourse arose directing people to feel guilty, not only for producing meat, but even for eating it, and of course demands like ‘sin taxes’ on animal products were quick to follow.
This self-penned opinion piece published on Euractiv.com gives some insight into why this wide range of sectoral associations have joined together as one European Livestock Voice to speak out against disinformation on livestock at EU level.