Animal Task Force in the European Parliament: the strategic voice of livestock farming at the centre of the debate

At a decisive moment for European agricultural policy, ATF made its presence felt in the European Parliament – with a voice anchored in science – in the debate “What would we lose with a drastic drop in livestock (and why you might be surprised)?“

Ana Sofia Santos, Secretary General of the Animal Task Force, presented the vision for future farming and the Responsible Livestock Concept.

David Kenny, researcher at Teagasc and coordinator of the European consortium STEP UP, presented the multiple positive externalities of livestock.

Keypoints of their interventions were:

• livestock farming as a fundamental link between the circular economy and the bioeconomy
• the role of livestock as natural recyclers
• the sector’s contribution to soil regeneration, organic fertilisation and efficient waste management
• the positive impacts on public health, animal welfare and sector resilience
• the fact that livestock are more than food and play an important role in food security and autonomy
• the urgency of science-based European policies for sustainable and responsible livestock farming in the green transition

The session, promoted by the newly created Intergroup on Sustainable Livestock, featured MEPs Alexander Bernhuber (EPP, Austria), Benoît Cassart (Renew, Belgium) and Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania) – co-chairs of the Intergroup – with contributions from scientific experts, academic representatives and the European Commission (DG AGRI).

The initiative reinforces the sector’s central role in the EU’s sustainable agricultural transition.

The discussion continues on 10 July, focusing on the views of farmers and professionals in the sector.