A new project funded by the European Union (EU) aims to reverse grazing decline across Europe by supporting farmers in the implementation of grazing-based systems.
Over the past decade grazing in Europe has declined by 10-20%, despite the proven potential of grazing-based production systems to produce high-quality milk and meat, Teagasc said.
Grazing4AgroEcology (G4AE) aims to restore farmer confidence and that of the agricultural industry in the production, performance and competitiveness of grazing.
Through the promotion of agroecological innovations for sustainable grazing management, the project supports biodiversity restoration, and a reduction of nutrient losses and emissions.
The pan-European initiative is coordinated by the Gruenlandzentrum in Germany and will run until March 2026, with Teagasc leading the project in Ireland.
“We see that grazing-based systems are rapidly disappearing in Europe. To reverse such negative trends requires a systemic change that must be supported by consumers devoted to the grazing societal values.
“Our team is well balanced and incredibly motivated to cope with such important challenges,” project coordinator and general manager at Gruenlandzentrum, Dr. Arno Krause said.
Grazing-based systems
In total 18 partners from France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Romania and Sweden will represent different pedo-climatic conditions and a wide range of grazing practices.
Representative farmers and farmer groups will be at the centre of the project, working together with basic and applied research, advisory and the industry.
Grazing4AgroEcology aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Implement a new approach to assess and optimise grazing-based farming based on agroecology to meet economic, ecological and societal, and animal welfare demands;
- Capture the practice needs, tapping and sharing best agroecological grazing practices via a partner-farm network and surveys;
- Implement a cross-border infrastructure for co-creation, collaboration, cross-fertilisation and knowledge-exchange and for impacting on the mindset of the future farmers generation;
- Implement a knowledge and information management system to persistently converge and sustainably deploy know-how and innovations.
The project in Ireland is led by Dr. Deirdre Hennessy, Dr. Michael O’Donovan and Dr. Caitlin Looney from the Teagasc Animal and Grassland, Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark.
Dr. Pat Cashman from GoldCrop is also a project partner, according to Teagasc.
“Teagasc are delighted to be involved in G4AE which is focusing on the resilience that pasture-based grazing systems provide to ruminant production, and the wider benefits of grazing systems for the environment, animal welfare and society,” Dr. Hennessy said.