According to several MEPs, many European citizens, and probably the totality of the livestock sector, a new Intergroup in the European Parliament focused on Sustainable Livestock would be essential. This platform aims to bring together MEPs to discuss the sector’s contributions to environmental, social, and economic sustainability, depolarising the debate around animal farming by offering a balanced, holistic view of the value chain.
The co-chairs of the initiative are Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania), Alexander Bernhuber (EPP, Austria), and Benoit Cassart (RE, Belgium). The European Livestock Voice has reached out and interviewed the latter. Mr Cassart, the son and grandson of cattle breeders and a farmer and breeder himself, for 30 years was the spokesperson for the National Federation of Livestock Trade in Belgium, a position he left when he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament last June.

Mr Cassart, why did you have the idea to create an intergroup dedicated to sustainable livestock farming at the European Parliament?
It all started from the observation that livestock farming is often excessively criticised, often based on little scientific evidence—many associate Livestock farming with environmental problems and meat with health issues. The reality on the ground that I see every day does not correspond to what is often heard in public institutions, which are often very urban-centric, such as the European Parliament. So, the idea was to bridge the gap between reality on the ground and our political decision-makers, who are of course intelligent, but very distant from reality!
The idea is to bring together breeders, farmers, politicians, European officials, university professors, and leaders of scientific research centres to work on an objective basis. European Commission officials have much to learn from people on the ground, but vice versa as well. When you put a university professor in contact with a farmer, they inevitably have things to discuss. The idea is to connect a whole world interested in livestock farming, whether closely, distantly, or very distantly, even people who are against livestock farming, to return to scientific and objective foundations.

Why do you think it is important to have this intergroup now?
We can only observe that livestock farming is a victim of a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding. Today, we are at a key moment for the future of livestock farming in Europe. Why is it a key moment? Because livestock farming is significantly declining year on year. Here in Belgium, we have lost one animal out of three in the last 30 years. And if this continues, this year we will see a 5 to 6% decrease, with many health issues that only exacerbate the discouragement of farmers. And I can tell you that when livestock farming disappears, it will not return.
People who are not children of farmers and who will have no links to this agricultural activity will not start it up again. So, I believe preserving what we still have today is urgent, even relaunching such activity could be good. We know we are at a key political moment as well. A new mandate is starting; so it is time to make the right decisions if we want to revitalise livestock farming in Europe. With the work ongoing on the new CAP, many people are reflecting on the future, and decision-makers need to be as well-informed as possible so that they can make decisions that will support the revitalisation of livestock farming in Europe. Let us not forget that there is a huge complementarity between plant and animal farming, and that animals and livestock farming are necessary for the proper functioning of European agriculture; just think of the natural fertiliser we get from livestock! I would also like to emphasise the importance of meat production for our food autonomy, geopolitical role, and responsibility to feed the planet as the population increases. We have a lot of land in Europe, and of very good quality, which can allow us to be food-autonomous. Livestock farming is a considerable asset for this to be possible, so now is the time to protect it by making the right decisions. And the right decisions start with good information.

What are the exact objectives of this intergroup?
The objective is to restore accurate and scientific information on livestock farming from different perspectives. First the environment. This is the current theme that concerns the population with the violent impacts of climate change and the disasters we are witnessing. So, what is the real impact of livestock farming? How can we improve it? This intergroup will address these questions. Secondly, regarding animal welfare. I believe this is where the most misinformation about our sector can be heard. Associating livestock farming with animal cruelty is intellectual nonsense. Because, as I always say, animal welfare is somehow guaranteed by the economic constraint of profitability for farmers. An animal that is not well treated is not a profitable animal.
There is also the issue of animal health. Today, we see that Europe suffers from significant deficits and a lack of harmonisation in health legislation. It is costly and not good for neither the animals nor the farmers. We lack harmonisation in managing vector-borne diseases. Each country is going in a different direction; in a common market, this is not feasible. We need coordination to develop vaccines more quickly and to distribute vaccines more effectively. Thus, the intergroup will also address the entire aspect of combating emerging and existing diseases. The health aspect is important.
So, environment, animal welfare, animal health. Of course, we can also include in our discussions everything that is commercial and how we distribute animals across the territory because each region is different. Each region has its specificity. It is sometimes justified to have a higher density of animals in an area suited for it. And for these animals to circulate in Europe to make the best use of the territory. Having an intergroup with MEPs from totally different regions, from different political backgrounds, and different political profiles sitting around a table to find a way to revitalise livestock farming and support sustainable livestock farming is essential.

You have talked about animal welfare and health, but an intergroup is already dedicated to these topics. What would be the differences between these two intergroups?
From the moment we focus on sustainable livestock farming, we emphasise three pillars: economic aspects, so trade, profitability, competitiveness of farms and sectors, etc.; environmental aspects, in which we can integrate animal health; but also social aspects, with the need for a profession that can live off its work. So, the environment, the economy, and the social aspects are all complementary. Without intending to be pretentious, it is much broader than just an intergroup focused solely on animal welfare. Because when we want animal welfare and do not take into account the health aspects, the economic aspects, or the social aspects of the breeder, we do not work comprehensively on animal welfare.