A major new report from EIT Food, backed by a cross-sectoral coalition of industry leaders, argues that the future of European beef and dairy lies not in cutbacks, but in a holistic transformation.
The solution, they propose, is a ‘One Health’ approach that intertwines environmental stewardship, animal welfare, and farmer prosperity to create a system where sustainability is a win-win for all.
The crossroads of European livestock
Europe’s beef and dairy sectors are at a pivotal juncture.
They face a triple squeeze: the urgent need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, growing consumer and regulatory demand for higher animal welfare standards, and the constant economic pressure to remain profitable in a volatile global market.
With livestock farming accounting for a staggering 96% of agricultural GHG emissions, primarily from enteric fermentation and manure management, the sector is under the microscope.
Yet, this challenge is also an unprecedented opportunity. The industry is not starting from scratch; innovative technologies, from methane-reducing feed additives to precision farming data systems, are already being piloted.
The central problem is one of adoption and alignment. Unclear and fluctuating sustainability policies and incentives make it critical to find credible, scalable solutions. Farmers, often bearing the brunt of the transition cost for a limited reward, are left in a precarious position.
The path forward requires a fundamental shift in perspective – viewing the health of the planet, animals, and farming communities as inextricably linked.
The ‘One Health’ lens: A unifying framework
The report is built around the ‘One Health’ principle, an integrated approach championed by global bodies like the FAO and WHO. It recognises that the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems is closely linked and interdependent.
In practical terms, for the livestock sector, this means you cannot improve environmental sustainability without also ensuring the economic resilience of the farmer.
You cannot have healthy food without healthy animals, and you cannot safeguard animal welfare without providing farmers with the tools and incentives to do so.
This approach demands integration between livestock health, farm sustainability, nutritious food options for consumers, and economic resilience for farmers.
To translate this philosophy into action, the working group employed a detailed value chain analysis. Using a collaborative digital platform, they mapped the entire journey from farm inputs to the retail shelf, identifying specific pain points and opportunities for intervention at every stage.
This exercise revealed that the most significant leverage points for creating win-wins clusters are around three critical themes.
Three pillars for systemic change
The first, and perhaps most crucial pillar, is farmer value. The report underscores that without clear economic incentives and a reduction in administrative burdens, the transition will stall.
A key barrier is the administrative burden of reporting required to access incentives, which falls squarely on farmers. This is compounded by uncertainty around new technologies and a patchwork of regional incentives that hinder scalability.
The proposed win-wins are centred on making sustainability simpler and more profitable. This includes aligning incentive models to minimise paperwork, using automated data integration to simplify reporting, and exploring results-based schemes like New Zealand’s Fonterra, which rewards farmers with higher prices for sustainably produced milk.
The core message is that sustainable practices must be shown to directly improve productivity, animal health, and a farm’s bottom line to foster genuine buy-in.
The second pillar is animal health and welfare, repositioned not as a cost, but as a smart investment at the very heart of One Health.
Advancing animal health through the prevention of diseases is pivotal for long-term sustainability and has direct impacts on human and environmental health.
Barriers include a traditional over-emphasis on treatment rather than prevention, labour shortages, and difficulty quantifying the direct sustainability benefits of a healthier herd on an individual farm.
The opportunities, however, are profound. Healthier animals are more productive, require fewer antibiotics, and have a lower emissions intensity per unit of milk or meat.
The report advocates for a new focus on precision livestock farming to monitor health and carbon footprints simultaneously, and on genetic strategies that breed for disease resistance and resilience.
By preventing disease, farmers can simultaneously boost their income, reduce their environmental footprint, and improve animal wellbeing – a classic One Health win-win.
The third pillar is data reporting. In the modern agricultural landscape, data is the currency of sustainability, but it must be handled correctly.
Currently, farmers face a burden to collect and submit data, alongside a lack of trust in data protection. There is also an excessive focus on carbon emissions to the detriment of other vital metrics like biodiversity, water, and soil health.
The vision for the future is one where data works for the farmer, not the other way around. This involves using AI and external data sources to streamline gathering, adopting a more holistic perspective on environmental impacts, and developing tools to automate data collection.
Accurate, accessible data is the key that unlocks the other two pillars: it enables fair and transparent incentive schemes for farmers and provides the evidence base for the economic and environmental benefits of improved animal health.
From theory to action: Four priority projects
Identifying themes is one thing; taking action is another. The EIT Food working group has moved beyond discussion to establish four concrete, collaborative projects that are now forming consortia to drive implementation.
The first is Animal Feed Testing for Greenhouse Gas Reduction. This project focuses on the dual benefit of feed.
By researching alternative sources like willow and seaweed, optimising pasture types, and promoting genetic improvements for feed conversion rates, the initiative aims to reduce methane emissions while simultaneously enhancing livestock health and productivity.
The goal is to produce a holistic best-practice guide for farmers, creating diverse income opportunities through improved efficiency.
The second project is Farmer Incentive Scheme Testing. Acknowledging that current incentives are often flawed, this project will actively map, test, and refine new models.
It will develop financial risk management tools and, crucially, work on linking sustainability measurements directly to economic rewards, such as premium prices for products with verified sustainable and nutritional credentials. The output will be a tested, scalable incentive model that proves sustainability can support farmer income.
The third initiative is Farmer Upskilling on Sustainable Practices. To bridge the knowledge gap, this project will develop targeted training programmes on regenerative practices and GHG reduction.
It will leverage peer-to-peer learning and integrate One Health modules into agricultural education through micro-credentials. The aim is to equip farmers with the knowledge to see sustainability not as a burden, but as a core component of their business resilience and productivity.
The fourth is the One Health Best Practice Advocacy Group. Recognising the complex regulatory environment, this project proposes the creation of a Think and Do Tank.
This advocacy group would simplify compliance for farmers, develop policy recommendations to incentivise sustainable practices, and become a leading reference point for evidence-based advice, ensuring that best practices are communicated clearly and effectively from the policy level to the farm gate.
A call for collaboration and a roadmap forward
The report concludes with a clear message: sustained collaboration is non-negotiable.
The transition to a sustainable livestock system is complex and requires aligned incentives, practical tools, and cooperation across the entire value chain – from feed producers and farmers to processors, retailers, and policymakers.
The beef and dairy livestock sector is at a pivotal turning point in its journey towards sustainability, with the opportunity to drive systemic change through innovative, integrated solutions.
Central to this transformation is the active engagement of farmers, whose participation and buy-in are crucial to ensuring lasting impact.
The report’s recommendations provide a clear roadmap. They call for strengthened disease prevention through investing in veterinary care and early detection, which can improve animal health, reduce antibiotic use, and lower emissions.
They emphasise the need to optimise feed management with strategies that improve digestibility, reduce methane, and support animal health.
And they champion the promotion of farmer-led best practices, arguing that regenerative approaches must be adapted to local contexts and built on the knowledge and leadership of farmers themselves.
The work is already underway, but the door remains open. EIT Food and its partners are calling for more stakeholders to join these priority projects or to bring forward new initiatives.
The vision outlined in the report is of a future where European beef and dairy are not problems to be solved, but vibrant, sustainable, and essential components of a resilient food system – a system where the health of the planet, the animals, and the farmer are finally recognised as the same.
