The Spanish Beef Interprofessional Organization, PROVACUNO, has warned about the main challenges currently facing the beef sector in Europe and Spain, including unfair competition arising from certain international trade agreements, the continued reduction of the European livestock herd and the difficulties in ensuring generational renewal in rural areas.
This was explained by PROVACUNO’s director, Javier López, in an interview for the podcast “Efeagro Punto de Encuentro”, produced by EFEAgro.
During the conversation, López recalled the economic and social importance of the beef sector in Spain, which generates more than 4.6 billion euros and includes around 100,000 livestock farms, as well as thousands of indirect jobs linked to transport, animal health, animal feed and the meat industry.
Concern over the reduction of cattle in Europe
One of the issues that most concerns the sector is the decline of the bovine herd in the European Union. According to Javier López, Europe has lost around 1.7 million cows over the last two years, a decrease that directly compromises future beef production.
“If there are no cows, there are no calves; and if there are no calves, there is no meat,” said the director of PROVACUNO during the podcast.
The head of the interprofessional organization believes that this situation should be analyzed not only from an economic point of view, but also from a social and territorial perspective, since the disappearance of livestock farms also means a loss of activity and population in many rural areas.
Trade agreements and unfair competition
In the interview, López also expressed the sector’s concern regarding certain international trade agreements, especially when they allow the entry of products from third countries that do not comply with the same production, sanitary, environmental or animal welfare requirements applied to European producers.
The sector considers it essential to guarantee balanced competition conditions in order to protect both the economic sustainability of farms and the high European production standards.
Lack of generational renewal
Another of the highlighted challenges was the lack of generational renewal and the difficulties in attracting labor to the livestock sector, a problem shared by a large part of Spanish agri-food production.
Javier López defended the need to preserve livestock activity as an economic and social engine for rural areas, warning that the loss of farms also weakens the economic and human fabric of many Spanish rural regions.
Spain, the third largest European producer
Despite the difficulties, the Spanish beef sector maintains an important international position. Spain is currently the third largest producer and exporter of beef in the European Union, consolidating its position as one of the sector’s main references at European level.
