All actors and stakeholders in cattle farming and beef production are invited to attend a BovINE online meeting “to share knowledge and discuss the sustainable future of the sector”.

The second international meeting of the EU-funded H2020 network project BovINE is hosted by Estonian partner Liivimaa Lihaveis.

The meeting brings together beef farmers, advisors, veterinarians, producers, suppliers, researchers, and policy players to “share knowledge and exchange ideas to establish the sustainability of the European beef sector”.

“On behalf of Liivimaa, Estonia is delighted to host this BovINE meeting at such a critical point in the sector’s history,” Estonian network manager Airi Kulvet said.

“BovINE’s network across 10 countries enables access to existing and developing knowledge to improve not only animal health and welfare, but also environmental sustainability and socioeconomic resilience of the beef farming community including production efficiency.

“In addition, knowledge shared on consumer needs and expectations of meat quality, for example, will help us plan for the future.”

Estonia’s Minister for Rural Affairs Urmas Kruuse will open the meeting with a keynote speech on Estonia’s perspective on sustainability and beef, followed by a series of sessions presented by BovINE’s network managers and Thematic Working Group leaders.

Outcomes from demonstrations and discussions held over the past year with and between farmers will highlight good practices already in use and research innovations identified across the project’s four thematic areas: environmental sustainability; socioeconomic resilience; animal health and welfare; and production efficiency and meat quality.

Solutions to challenges facing the beef sector

“Many solutions to the challenges facing the beef sector already exist,” BovINE project coordinator, Professor Maeve Henchion of Teagasc said.

“Some are solutions farmers have come up with themselves and are already implementing on-farm, others have been developed by researchers and are ready to move from research into practice.

“BovINE has collected solutions to specific topics across all dimensions of sustainability from these sources in 2021. We look forward to discussing them with farmers, advisors, researchers and all representatives of the beef value chain at our forthcoming meeting.”

Richard Lynch, BovINE project manager, added: “Developing a beef sector that meets the demands of both the consumer and the farmer will require the input of multiple actors from the beef knowledge and innovation system.

“This upcoming meeting is a great opportunity to see how the BovINE project is bringing together multiple actors from across Europe to support the sector in becoming more sustainable.”