Meat supply chains have to face 3 major global stakes for their sustainable development: health (animal and human), equity and environment. Rising demand for meat and livestock sector development have serious consequences in terms of natural resources depletion, animal health, public health, structure of production and access to markets. In the same time, amenities of livestock production should be strengthen and better acknowledged in policies. We suggest 5 principles that will allow the sector to successfully improve its sustainability: efficiency in using natural resources, conservation of resources, protection of rural livelihoods, resilience of communities and ecosystems and governance of private and public initiatives.

Meat supply chains have to face 3 major global stakes for their sustainable development: health (animal and human), equity and environment. Rising demand for meat and livestock sector development have serious consequences in terms of natural resources depletion, animal health, public health, structure of production and access to markets. In the same time, amenities of livestock production should be strengthen and better acknowledged in policies. We suggest 5 principles that will allow the sector to successfully improve its sustainability: efficiency in using natural resources, conservation of resources, protection of rural livelihoods, resilience of communities and ecosystems and governance of private and public initiatives.

The number of cows in the EU contracted by 10% in the last 10 years, due to the continuous restructuring of the dairy herd (in the EU, about 2 cows in 3 are milked). The EU beef production decreased at the same rate. French beef production has fared better over the long term, but it underwent a sharp decrease in the last 2 years. This drop has affected the profitability of both beef farmers and processors. In addition, French processors have also had to suffer from the “social dumping” used by their competitors in Germany, Poland or Ireland. However, positive signals from the market are starting to appear.

The number of cows in the EU contracted by 10% in the last 10 years, due to the continuous restructuring of the dairy herd (in the EU, about 2 cows in 3 are milked). The EU beef production decreased at the same rate. French beef production has fared better over the long term, but it underwent a sharp decrease in the last 2 years. This drop has affected the profitability of both beef farmers and processors. In addition, French processors have also had to suffer from the “social dumping” used by their competitors in Germany, Poland or Ireland. However, positive signals from the market are starting to appear.

Animal products are at the heart of environmental issues of agriculture. Their global impacts on land use, biodiversity, water use and greenhouse gas emissions are singled out. The application of Life Cycle Assessment for the environmental assessment of agricultural products and especially meat products has changed the perception of their environmental impacts, providing a broader view of the production system and a multi-criteria evaluation. While the impacts of livestock are better known, the assessment methods remain to be stabilized. A common approach and data bases for the entire meat product chain remain to be developed, to better assess the environmental consequences of the consumption of meat products.

Animal products are at the heart of environmental issues of agriculture. Their global impacts on land use, biodiversity, water use and greenhouse gas emissions are singled out. The application of Life Cycle Assessment for the environmental assessment of agricultural products and especially meat products has changed the perception of their environmental impacts, providing a broader view of the production system and a multi-criteria evaluation. While the impacts of livestock are better known, the assessment methods remain to be stabilized. A common approach and data bases for the entire meat product chain remain to be developed, to better assess the environmental consequences of the consumption of meat products.

Les JSMTV 2014 ont ressemblé plus de 240 participants dont 20% de professionnels et 18% d’étrangers dont une délégation du centre franco-chinois pour la production de viande boeuf. Vu les enjeux des filières animales (l’environnement, la santé animale et humaine, et l’égalité d’accès aux produits alimentaires), les différentes méthodes et analyses de l’impact environnemental des produits carnés ont été décrites, ainsi que les déterminants économiques et sociaux des achats de viande et les voies d’amélioration de la compétitivité des filières viande. Sur le plan nutritionnel, la viande en quantité raisonnable est sans danger pour la santé humaine. Concernant l’efficience de la découpe et des transformations ainsi que la différentiation par la qualité, l’accent a été mis sur les innovations et la nécessité de stratégies marketing et commerciales dans la filière viande.

Les JSMTV 2014 ont ressemblé plus de 240 participants dont 20% de professionnels et 18% d’étrangers dont une délégation du centre franco-chinois pour la production de viande boeuf. Vu les enjeux des filières animales (l’environnement, la santé animale et humaine, et l’égalité d’accès aux produits alimentaires), les différentes méthodes et analyses de l’impact environnemental des produits carnés ont été décrites, ainsi que les déterminants économiques et sociaux des achats de viande et les voies d’amélioration de la compétitivité des filières viande. Sur le plan nutritionnel, la viande en quantité raisonnable est sans danger pour la santé humaine. Concernant l’efficience de la découpe et des transformations ainsi que la différentiation par la qualité, l’accent a été mis sur les innovations et la nécessité de stratégies marketing et commerciales dans la filière viande.