Somos Ganadería presented the reality of Spanish livestock farming—along with its own work and the organizations comprising this sector alliance—at a meeting in the Spanish Senate attended by representatives from all parliamentary groups of the Upper House’s Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, and Food. Miguel Ángel Higuera, coordinator of Somos Ganadería, also explained the organization’s origins, objectives, and key activities aimed at bringing the reality of the sector closer to the general public.
Somos Ganadería is a coalition of livestock-related organizations that share information and communication strategies while representing various links in the supply chain. Participants include entities from the food and animal health sectors, genetics and reproduction organizations, agricultural unions and cooperatives, and associations representing producers of pork, beef, poultry, rabbit, sheep, goat, fatty waterfowl, and eggs, as well as the meat industry—all with the support of major livestock inter-branch organizations.
During his presentation, Miguel Ángel Higuera highlighted the current situation facing the industry: “Both European and Spanish livestock farming are facing major challenges that have weakened the sector in recent times, resulting in a drastic reduction in production.” Among these challenges, the Somos Ganadería coordinator pointed to “attacks on the sector’s reputation, primarily stemming from ‘fake news’ or false reports.”
In this regard, he explained that Somos Ganadería—operating within the framework of *European Livestock Voice*—”was created precisely to provide technical and scientific responses, based on facts and truth, to the false news published about the sector. Such reports undermine the image and reputation of an industry that operates efficiently and adheres to high quality standards, ensuring the traceability of the food we consume.” This composition enables Somos Ganadería to bring together diverse perspectives on livestock farming and to focus its efforts on sharing information about the sector and fostering a better understanding of its reality—always grounded in scientific evidence. To this end, the alliance combines outreach activities and content creation with the organization of meetings involving experts and professionals.
**Raising awareness and communicating the reality of livestock farming**
One of its key initiatives is *Realidad Ganadera* (Livestock Reality), a campaign run by Somos Ganadería in Spain to provide verified information on issues related to livestock farming. Through the website www.realidadganadera.es, the content is organized around five pillars: the importance of livestock farming, animal welfare, animal health, the environment, and the relationship between livestock farming and rural life.
The platform also features a section titled “Beyond the Headline” (*Más allá del titular*), which provides context and data regarding current news stories affecting the sector, as well as a library of articles, videos, reports, and infographics aimed at the general public, journalists, and policymakers.
*Realidad Ganadera* is part of an initiative that originated with *European Livestock Voice*—a platform established in 2019 that unites major European livestock sector organizations and launched the “Meat the Facts” campaign at the European Parliament. Somos Ganadería adapts this initiative to the Spanish context and is part of a network of similar national platforms in countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
**A channel for dialogue with policymakers**
All activities carried out by Somos Ganadería aim to bring the reality of the livestock sector closer to society and to ensure that public debate is informed by verified data and the diverse perspectives of those within the supply chain. A presentation at the Spanish Senate took place within this framework; there, Higuera outlined the alliance’s work to parliamentary groups and expressed its readiness to collaborate. The alliance emphasizes that its aim is not to tell anyone what to think, but rather to help ensure that the debate on livestock farming incorporates diverse perspectives and that decisions regarding the sector are made with due regard for their impact on farm viability, generational renewal, rural communities, and the food supply.
This presentation at the Spanish Senate complements the work *Somos Ganadería* carries out to bring the reality of the livestock sector closer to the general public, the media, and policymakers, as well as its collaboration with *European Livestock Voice* and other national platforms.
A recording of the session can be viewed at this link
Más información en www.realidadganadera.es
