September 22, 2021 . The six interprofessional organizations representing the sector rancher-meator Spanish (ASICI, AVIANZA, INTERCUN, INTEROVIC, INTERPORC AND PROVACUNO) they have revealed its Unit of action and the commitment to put in value and defend the interests of the entire livestock-meat chain. Gthus ensuring its sustainability and resilience economic, environmental and social to contribute to the recovery and stability that Spain needs to face the challenges of the future.
Within the framework of two of the most representative events for the sector, FIGAN 2021, the International Fair for Animal Production held in Zaragoza, and the 21st Aecoc Congress of Meat and Prepared Products that
takes place in Lleida, Javier López and Alberto Herranz have intervened representing the six interprofessional organizations and have advocated that «Only together can we face the challenges and opportunities that will experience the sector in the coming years in the framework of Strategies such as From Farm to Table or the Next Generation EU European Funds, as well as important phenomena such as climate change or the challenge
demographic”.
Javier López has indicated in FIGAN that «The six interprofessionals of the chain, from a leadership position in the sector, we have joined forces in an unprecedented collaboration in our economic field to
make new commitments that work in favor of reconstruction economic and social development of Spain and contribute to overcoming common challenges »
For his part, Alberto Herranz has stated in the Aecoc Congress that the livestock-meat chain is an important ecosystem that generates opportunities and we seek to make it even more so. «In the whole country, two millions of people live on the livestock-meat chain, with a presence majority in rural areas, in many municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants who are the most affected by depopulation. Livestock
contributes more than 15,000 million euros to agricultural production, while that the meat industry has a turnover of more than 26,000 million euros, which ranks as the leader in the entire food sector with 22.6% of the total, has highlighted Herranz, concluding that we are part of the livestock-meat chain we are committed to contributing to the economic progress of our country.
The scope of the sector ranges from international to local, since the maintenance of livestock in rural areas generates activity economic at the local level through the more than 400,000 farms active cattle ranchers and companies established in the territory, in many Sometimes, in municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants, which are in a particularly serious situation as a consequence of depopulation, which
that makes it a fundamental agent for the structuring of the territory and to face depopulation.
Exemplary and commitment of the livestock-meat chain with stability
The Spanish agri-food sector, with the livestock-meat sector at the head, has shown throughout the pandemic period that it acts with sense of State to ensure the availability of products for the entire
population.
After the long period of the pandemic, the time has come for the economic recovery, in which public and private entities have collaborate together for the economic and social progress of the country. And the chain cattle-meat producer expresses its commitment to the transformation of all the value chain to increase its competitiveness, sustainability economic and environmental, as well as its digitization capabilities, such as
we will be able to observe in the development of the next agri-food PERTE that will design the Government of Spain in close collaboration with the sector and the chain.
In this sense, public policies play a fundamental role in the reactivation of the different sectors, such as agri-food which, after a great effort in recent years, they need to have a stable context
to advance your activities. To maintain export capacity and productivity, it is essential to maintain a stable fiscal framework, avoiding distorting effects on the whole meat chain,
that would lead to regressive impacts, reducing their income by several hundreds of millions of euros, and presenting a clearly nature regressive by taxing especially lower-income households.
Commitment to food systems, sustainability and Health
The six interprofessionals of the livestock-meat chain work in the challenges and goals to be achieved in our sector to address the best possible solutions and proposals for the future with consensus and commitment.
The chain wants to continue contributing to environmental sustainability and food systems, as they have transferred in the framework of the Summit Food Systems Conference, which will take place tomorrow.
Livestock-meat production is a fundamental and irreplaceable pillar of the World Food System, and in addition, it is essential as a protector and conservator of the many models of biodiversity and heritages natural.
The livestock-meat sector is part of the solution to environmental challenges, aware that like any human activity, its activity has an environmental footprint. And at the same time, the sector states that, as shown by the official data of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, livestock is not the main responsible for climate change, representing only 7.8% of the total
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of our country, while that the sectors related to the production and use of energy they generate almost three-quarters of those GHGs.
To meet environmental challenges, the chain takes a long time working and investing great resources, talent and innovation to achieve a sustainable, circular, aligned livestock production model
with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and neutral in emissions, developing new production techniques with less environmental impact at all points of production.
There is no doubt the importance and need for food to be produced sustainable from an environmental point of view, but also that such food is healthy, affordable and equitable. The sector works for the
promotion of healthy, varied and balanced diets that include vegetables and animal products such as meat, following the consumption recommendations expressed by Spanish agencies and international organizations, such as the WHO, which establishes that “food of origin animals are the best sources of high quality nutrients ”.
Diets that contain a base of fruits and vegetables and that include a adequate consumption of meat, an indissoluble product of the Mediterranean diet and that our gastronomic and social culture is part of, and that contributes to the population proteins at an affordable price and of high nutritional value, in addition to numerous minerals and vitamins, such as iron, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, selenium, magnesium, or vitamin B12, which allow us to stay
healthy.
Commitment to sustainability and digitization and commitment to the territory
The livestock-meat chain is developing an important project for the future and to strengthen competitiveness, proposing investments in the areas of sustainability, digitization and
circular economy.
For this, more than 1,600 companies and farmers, 73.6% of which are SMEs, coordinated under the six interprofessional organizations of the chain, have committed more than 5,100 million euros in a project linked to European funds, which has received recognition from the Ministries of Industry and Agriculture as the best private project received by the Government, for its ambition in ecological transformation and that will mean for the sector.
This project will reduce the carbon footprint by 30% for products final and achieve milestones such as lowering ammonia levels 28%, the water footprint by 18%, energy consumption in the farms by 38% and in meat industries by 22% and limit the use of feed by 15%.
This project will also strengthen territorial cohesion and the promotion of the Rural Spain, as it will have an important impact on all Spanish Autonomous Communities, especially in small
municipalities.
And in this sense, the six interprofessionals of the chain have put in The Municipal Livestock-Meat Network is also marching, which is constitutedas a forum in which Spanish municipalities with a presence
relevant livestock-meat activity can share concerns, challenges and opportunities, giving them back the prominence they deserve in the national debate and defend the commitments of the sector, which impact so
positively in these territories, generating activity, employment and setting the population in small nuclei. Do not forget that in Spain the chain places more than half of its activity in municipalities with less than
5,000 inhabitants.
For this, a collaboration agreement has been signed with the Federation Spanish of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) that will provide the Support Network, dissemination and promotion capacity, and numerous regional councils
such as Extremadura, Cantabria, Andalusia, Murcia, Galicia or Castilla-La Mancha are already formalizing their participation in this project.