The European Commission has published its EU Livestock Strategy, together with several accompanying documents.
Beyond the Strategy itself, I would particularly recommend reading the Analytical Brief N°17, available for download near the bottom of the Strategy page: The EU bovine sector and grass-based ruminant livestock farms.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Brief is that it explicitly distinguishes between intensive and extensive livestock systems. Rather than treating livestock as a single category, it recognises that different production systems provide different environmental, economic and territorial outcomes. It also cautions that one-size-fits-all policy approaches may have unintended consequences for extensive grazing systems.
More broadly, the Strategy recognises the diversity of livestock production systems and regional contexts across Europe. It highlights that livestock production can contribute not only to food security and rural economies, but also to biodiversity and the maintenance of European landscapes, while emphasising the need to improve environmental performance and animal welfare .
The Strategy also makes clear that the post-2027 CAP will be one of the key instruments supporting this transitio n.
Whether these principles will translate into better support for HNV farming and conservation grazing will now depend on how they are reflected in the post-2027 CAP, funding instruments and implementing rules. This is where evidence and practical experience from conservation grazing practitioner networks can make a difference: by showing what works in practice, identifying where current rules create barriers, and helping policymakers design policies and rules that actually work for extensive grazing systems .