At the Sustainable Livestock Intergroup meeting on animal breeding MEPs Bernhuber and Benoit Cassart shared a clear message to those parties who stigmatise breeds because of looks: Balanced and responsible breeding strategies deliver long-term progress for farmers across all systems.
The Intergroup was also guest-hosted by MEP Jessika van Leeuwen who shared her personal experience in animal breeding and reproduction technologies.
Continued EU support for research and innovation in animal genetics is essential to ensure a livestock sector that is healthier, more resilient, efficient and sustainable.
Experts shared various insights into animal breeding:
Luca Fontanesi from Bologna University explained that breeding strategies are not just about boosting production, they focus also on disease resilience, mitigation of emissions, and efficient use of natural resources.
Raffaella Finocchiaro from ANAFIBJ outlined how breeding approaches have evolved since the 1970s. For example, today many countries are including breeding traits for fertility, immunity and longevity.
Saskia Meier from Synetics provided a specific example on the benefits of breeding, showing how improved health can help to reduce the need to use antibiotics.
Eric Schmitt from Univers 2020 concluded that breeding is going through a paradigm shift from simple reproduction to precision reproduction. Today semen sexing is a key tool in the farmer’s toolbox to remain both competitive and sustainable.
DG AGRI’s Brigitte Misonne shared some insights into the new EU Livestock Strategy in development and highlighted that up to Work Programme 2025, around €680 million in EU research funds has been devoted to livestock for breeding for resilience and efficiency, feeding, sustainable use of resources, and animal health and welfare.
Luca Fontanesi
Raffaella Finocchiaro
Saskia Meier
Eric Schmitt
Brigitte Misonne
Our Chair MEP Benoit Cassart opened the February meeting of the Sustainable Livestock Intergroup saying that we can’t talk about
Livestock farming is essential for feeding Europe and maintaining food autonomy — a point highlighted by Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of
At the Sustainable Livestock Intergroup meeting on animal breeding MEPs Bernhuber and Benoit Cassart shared a clear message to those
