The 9 Paradoxes of Farm to Fork
Launched today in 7 European countries, a video appeal illustrates the Farm to Fork paradoxes which hinder the green transition.
The European livestock sector offers to share its know-how for a genuinely sustainable production system.
The European livestock sector presented today “The 9 paradoxes of Farm to Fork”, a call to actively participate in the current sustainability challenge to develop and implement an effective and adequate Farm to Fork strategy for Europe. Born from an initiative of Carni Sostenibili and European Livestock Voice, the series of videos was launched simultaneously in 7 European countries and languages: Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Poland.
The videos highlight the fact that despite good intentions, the Farm to Fork strategy does not take into consideration the actual situation and challenges of the livestock sector. They reflect the will of the whole chain to be actively involved in the great green transition process, now in progress.
The paradoxes identified reflect misconceptions and prejudices surrounding the livestock sector in terms of the environment, health and the economy. They reveal inaccuracies in the understanding of:
- The nutritional value of meat
- The consistency of land use for livestock farming activities
- The environmental sustainability of the European livestock chain
- The economic impact of the sector
- The protection of animal welfare
- The use of natural vs chemical fertilizers
- Job security and employment in rural areas
- The gastronomic and cultural heritage of animal-source products
- The security and availability of our food products
“The Farm to Fork strategy, at the heart of the European Green Deal, can be an opportunity to enhance the results achieved by the European agricultural and livestock system: the challenge lies in research, innovation and technology. It is also crucial to ensure sufficient production to respond to the growing demand for food using fewer resources – says Giuseppe Pulina, President of Carni Sostenibili (Sustainable Meat) – Today, those working in the zootechnics supply chain have the duty to help decision makers not to waste the great opportunity to guide the agri-food system for more than the next 10 years” .
“Livestock has been – and still is – blamed for many evils. We may not be perfect, but it is only fair to highlight the numerous measures already taken and the substantial progress made by all in our sector. And it is still work in progress. The videos we launch today reflect the reality of livestock and aim to debunk common misconceptions, many of which unfortunately presided over the planning of the Farm to Fork strategy. It is crucial to make our voice heard, because we want to be part of
the current process which will determine the future, and because we wish to make ourselves available to share our knowledge and experience with policy-makers, during the ongoing discussions on F2F” said Birthe Steenberg, Secretary General of AVEC (Poultry meat sector), speaking in the name of European Livestock Voice.
The full version video is available and embeddable for publication at the following link.
If you are interested in this issue, join us on 5 May for a follow-up debate with expert speakers from all sides of the spectrum. More to come from @LivestockVoice on Twitter.
Euro Foie Gras is glad to take part in the European Livestock Voice’s work to support telling the truth on the sector.
A European Livestock Voice and Carni Sostenibili communication.