Stepping Up for Europe's
Sustainable Livestock Systems

Scientific Solutions Shaping Resilient
European Policies

Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive and quantifiable information regarding the sustainability, viability, and resilience of environmentally friendly European Livestock Production Systems (ELPS). STEP UP strives to bridge the knowledge gaps surrounding the positive and negative impacts of ELPS on the environment and society.

By aiming to identify deficits in data and develop new indicators, while creating strategies for more sustainable and diverse ELPS, we aim to tackle the overarching challenge – the absence of a holistic understanding of ELPS. That’s why Step Up strives to consider their broader impacts within the food system and wider ecosystem, hindering informed policy measures necessary for optimizing the role of livestock in meeting both nutritional and societal needs.

Roadmap for evidence-based and
sustainable livestock systems

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Key Objectives:

1. Co-create sustainable ELPS through robust evidence-based assessments.

2. Validate and demonstrate sustainable livestock production models aligned with circularity and transparency.

3. Develop methodologies for assessing diverse ELPS sustainability.

4. Generate evidence supporting policy development for sustainable livestock systems.

5. Enhance stakeholder engagement and knowledge dissemination.

6. Establish a transdisciplinary approach for future-proofing the livestock value chain.

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Stepping up European Livestock Production Systems

3000

Farmers in 20+ European countries, improving their sustainability performance

35

ELPS transformed into sustainable, healthy and inclusive livestock systems

12

Innovative Livestock Production Systems (ILPS) assessed using improved methodologies

European Livestock Production Systems (ELPS)

are established methods and practices employed in livestock farming across Europe. They encompass the traditional, commonly used approaches to raising and managing livestock. Often, they are characterized by their established agricultural norms within the European context.

Innovative Livestock Production Systems (ILPS)

are novel approaches to livestock farming that depart from conventional ones. They are characterized by holistic management strategies which integrate cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices. ILPS introduce alternative paradigms that may offer increased efficiency, reduced environmental impact and improved animal welfare.

STEP UP taps into stakeholder networks and existing projects to access diverse ILPS examples. That exploration consolidates existing data sources and identifies gaps while providing real-world insight for ELPS/ILPS data application.