PRESS RELEASE
BRUSSELS, 7 JULY 2026 – IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the recognition of the benefits of organic livestock farming in the European Commission’s EU Livestock Strategy. The strategy rightly acknowledges that organic livestock systems combine profitability with high environmental and animal welfare standards and that Member States should therefore continue supporting organic farming as a resilient business model. IFOAM Organics Europe also welcomes the support for mobile slaughterhouses, which can strengthen local value chains, improve animal welfare by reducing transport distances and increase the viability of livestock farming in rural areas.
“Organic livestock farming demonstrates that high environmental and animal welfare standards can go hand in hand with economically viable farming, and the Commission rightly recognises this. This is a step in the right direction but needs to be translated into support for farmers on the ground by maintaining and strengthening organic conversion and maintenance support in the CAP post-2027, alongside a dedicated and ring-fenced budget for agri-environmental measures including organic.”, said Dóra Drexler, President of IFOAM Organics Europe.
The overall direction of the Strategy remains overly focused on technological solutions to make livestock production more efficient, instead of supporting the transition to farming systems that deliver environmental, climate and societal benefits. IFOAM Organics Europe questions the strategy’s expectations on “cutting-edge breeding” approaches as the resilience of European livestock will not be achieved through genetic engineering techniques.
IFOAM Organics Europe is also concerned that the strategy approaches the climate impact and methane emissions of livestock primarily through technological innovation, breeding programmes and metrics that risk being reductionist. The organic sector calls on the European Commission to not weaken existing environmental safeguards, including through any reopening of the Nitrates Directive.
“The future of EU livestock farming cannot be built on efficiency gains, and resilience needs a transition towards livestock production within ecological limits. By closing nutrient cycles, the organic approach reduces dependency on external inputs, decreases vulnerability to shocks and strengthens resilience. Greater priority and support should be given to farming systems that address emissions through circular nutrient management, conserve and promote locally adapted breeds and align stocking densities with the carrying capacity of the land”, said Eduardo Cuoco, Director of IFOAM Organics Europe.
Finally, IFOAM Organics Europe calls on the European Commission to ensure that a “European excellence” seal does not undermine existing quality schemes established under EU legislation, such as organic.
Comment: