The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, has announced from the Livestock Fair of La Carolina, in Jaén, that, among the numerous measures that will be included in the I Extensive Livestock Strategy of Andalusia, currently being developed, the creation and implementation of innovation operational groups in the field of extensive livestock will be promoted. «The main objective of this strategy is to improve the competitiveness of livestock, ensure its profitability, and ensure environmental and social sustainability,» said the minister, who emphasized that this «roadmap» of the livestock sector will include measures for the new post-2027 CAP to capture the sensitivities of a livestock sector that is a «key economic engine» in the region.
Among the initiatives, Fernández-Pacheco detailed how Andalusia will request direct subsidies to be paid per animal head rather than per surface area, the establishment of a livestock substitute structure to allow for succession, as well as the creation and implementation of innovation operational groups to support innovative projects in the sector, similar to what happens in the field of fruits and vegetables.
«From the Junta, we support extensive livestock farming, believe in this sector, and want to generate trust and security for anyone who wants to start or continue working as an extensive livestock farmer. With this strategy, we aim to be more competitive, profitable, and innovative,» he added.
Within the framework of the official inauguration of the forty-third edition of a fair that brings together more than 210 head of livestock, «the importance of extensive livestock farming in the Andalusian ideology is evident.» In this line, he stated that «livestock is an intrinsic part of the history of Andalusia, its culture, its traditions, the quality of our products. Livestock is Andalusian Brand, from the image of the fighting bull to the dehesas fields.»
Six million heads
In this regard, he pointed out that the livestock sector is one of the main socio-economic assets of Andalusia with six million head of livestock that generate almost 23,000 jobs throughout the community.
In the region of Linares, to which La Carolina belongs, there are more than 500 registered livestock farms and over 83,310 head of livestock, representing almost 18 percent of the entire province. In the case of La Carolina, there are 108 farms in La Carolina with 12,720 head of livestock, accounting for 21.6 percent of the region’s census.
In this regard, the Minister of Agriculture highlighted that extensive livestock farming is a very important sector and has a special sensitivity from the Andalusian government. In fact, only in the previous period’s RDP, he noted that the sector benefited from 212 million euros in subsidies.
Thus, he referred to the first Andalusian strategy for extensive livestock farming as a strategic planning document that will set the pace in the coming years, but above all, will defend extensive livestock farming in the new CAP. A comprehensive and highly participatory strategy involving various departments and administrative agencies that is in the drafting phase and has already characterized the sector and diagnosed problems and opportunities.
«We know that extensive livestock farming is going through a very challenging situation due to the decrease in herds, leading to competitiveness and profitability issues. This is compounded by the sector’s exposure to climate change, diseases, and, of course, the lack of generational succession, as it is very demanding and sacrificial,» the minister emphasized.
Despite this, he assured that «extensive livestock farming can and must have a future, as it produces quality foods that are highly valued as products associated with an ancestral activity, anchoring the population to the territory, creating jobs, and being environmentally friendly.»
