The Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC), the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF), and the Finnish Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) jointly organized a seminar on Sustainable Nordic Livestock at the Swedish permanent representation 14th October 2025, Brussels.

In addition to two keynote speeches, the seminar featured three panel discussions addressing climate, biodiversity, and animal welfare perspectives. The panels included young farmers, representatives of organizations, MEPs from various member states, and Commission officials from different Directorates-General. 

The seminar brought together 75 participants. The seminar began with opening words by the moderator, Rose O’Donovan, who highlighted how Nordic countries are front-runners in sustainable agriculture and noted that discussions on agricultural sustainability and competitiveness are timely. 

Åsa Webber.

The Ambassador of Sweden, Ms. Åsa Webber, welcomed the audience to the Swedish permanent representation. She highlighted how the Nordic production model serves as an example in addressing climate, biodiversity, and animal welfare opportunities.  

The first keynote speaker, Ms. Brigitte Misonne, Head of Unit for Animal Products at DG AGRI, highlighted the ongoing livestock workstream and upcoming strategy. The Commission will publish its livestock strategy next year. She also emphasized that the EU must be a leader in animal welfare and that sustainable livestock production is essential for the EU economy. She mentioned that the livestock workstream is ongoing as a follow-up to the agricultural vision and that food security and competitiveness were also referenced in the State of the European Union speech in September by Ursula von der Leyen. 

Brigitte Misonne.

The second keynote speaker was Mr. Paulo de Lima from FAO. He explained how livestock production is the backbone of food production, providing livelihoods for many people in rural areas. FAO works to address international sustainability challenges, reduce antimicrobial use, and improve the sustainability of livestock production. 

Paolo de Lima.

The first panel on climate was opened by Ms. Ida Storm (DAFC), who highlighted the livestock sector’s potential for a green transition. She stressed the need for a detailed roadmap and collaboration, acknowledging that some emissions will inevitably remain. Storm noted that current emission-reduction projects are insufficient and announced Denmark’s carbon tax on livestock emissions, to be implemented from 2030, designed so that farmers can avoid it by improving efficiency. 

Rose O'Donovan, Antero Lähteenmäki, Christian Holzleitner, Ida Storm.

Mr. Christian Holzleitner, DG CLIMA expressed his support for Denmark’s carbon tax, viewing it as a business opportunity for farmers. He supported the development of a carbon market for agriculture, noting that the Commission is considering it for livestock, and emphasized that future land use could provide additional income for farmers reducing emissions. 

Third panelist Mr. Antero Lähteenmäki (FI) expressed interest in how Danish farmers would respond to the upcoming carbon tax and adapt to it. Lähteenmäki explained that Finnish farmers already receive a premium for milk produced with lower emissions. On their farm, they have invested in a new barn and biogas plant. Improved animal welfare has increased milk production and reduced the carbon footprint. 

The second panel, led by Ms. Sigrid Agenäs, focused on biodiversity. She highlighted that Nordic pastures and meadows are scarce compared to global land use but contain as many biotopes as rainforests if properly grazed. Current assessment methods are inadequate for the Nordic context, and a common definition of biodiversity is needed. 

Rose O'Donovan, Hans Roust Thysen, Elsi Katainen, Humberto Delgado Rosa, Sigrid Agenäs.

Mr. Humberto Delgado Rosa from DG ENVI emphasized the need for more grazing animals, which play a key role in countering wildfires. He stressed the importance of promoting grasslands as part of sustainable livestock management while addressing both positive and negative impacts, such as nitrate hotspots. 

MEP Elsi Katainen (FI) highlighted the importance of promoting semi-natural grasslands as the future of sustainable livestock production. “Even if this approach was used in the past, it remains highly relevant today,” Katainen noted. She emphasized grazing as a Nordic strength, pointing out that, unlike rainforest deforestation, Nordic grazing does not harm forests. Katainen stressed that sustainability and profitability must go hand in hand. 

Hans Roust (DAFC) noted that supporting biodiversity can be challenging for farmers, as results are not always immediately visible. He emphasized a holistic approach in which sustainability, profitability, and biodiversity support each other. 

The third panel focused on animal welfare perspectives and was opened by Mr. Juho Kyntäjä (MTK). He emphasized that farmers want the best for their animals, while also managing a business. He welcomed support for higher animal welfare through market prices and EU compensation and called for a level playing field and uniform standards for imported products. National legislation often sets higher standards than EU law, and buyers offer sustainability schemes with voluntary measures.  

Rose O'Donovan, Elisabeth Hidén, Christian Juliusson, Asger Christensen, Juho Kyntäjä.

Mr. Christian Juliusson from DG SANTE spoke about the ongoing work in the Commission related to the update of animal welfare legislation. The proposal for animal transport has met over 4000 amendments in the European Parliament. Next year, the Commission will present a proposal to ban cages.  

MEP Asger Christensen (DK) emphasized that the same rules should apply to all EU production to ensure fairness. Christensen also stressed that breeding practices should focus on improving the health and well-being of cows, aligning animal welfare with sustainable livestock production. 

Swedish farmer Ms. Elisabeth Hidén pointed out that animal welfare is not a matter of black and white, as it comes with both benefits and risks. On pasture, challenges include diseases, predators such as wolves, and slower growth rates, while advantages include lower feed costs. Incomes should consistently cover the high costs of maintaining good animal welfare. 

Further information: 
FI: Jussi Savander  jussi.savander@mtk.fi 
DK: Tobias Gräs tog@agridan.be  
SE: Katarina Hedman katarina.hedman@lrf.se  

topics: animal welfare, animal production