Sustainable Livestock

A nationwide transition to biologically based farming systems that do not rely on agrochemicals, would prioritise natural soil fertility building within crop rotations. Producing food from this process – which would also help to build carbon and break pest, weed and disease cycles – generally requires the use of grazing animals.

Natural fertility building within crop rotations, alongside regenerative grazing practices and, where possible, the integration of trees, could sequester hugely significant amounts of carbon over the coming decades, helping to tackle our climate impact, whilst delivering a range of other benefits.

Although agriculture has been the single greatest contributor to biodiversity loss in the UK, it also has the potential to become a key part of the solution. A transition to pasture-based grazing systems that minimise the use of agrochemicals, reduce agricultural pollution and foster a greater diversity of habitats and species will be essential to achieving this.

Livestock that are primarily fed on grass could significantly contribute to the UK’s supply of protein, fats and several key micronutrients. Grazing animals reared largely or solely on grass, rather than on grains that could otherwise be used for human consumption, would help to relieve the pressure on the supply of plant crops, benefiting food security.

Grazing livestock play a central role in the social and cultural life of many rural communities and help to maintain culturally cherished grassland landscapes. A shift to lower input, pasture-based systems across the UK could build on this in various ways, for instance, by creating livestock-related jobs in areas currently dominated by arable farming.

Grazing livestock are often seen as a barrier to woodland expansion, but there is significant potential for integration of trees and ruminants. The SFT’s Feeding Britain report showed that it would be possible to adopt agroforestry across 10% of the UK’s grassland area and plant almost 1 million hectares of woodland, whilst maintaining grasslands and grazing animals as a key part of the UK food system.

Adopting a lower-input, pasture-based approach to rearing animals, and reducing the production of intensively farmed meat and dairy, could enable a major reduction in GHG emissions and sequester significant quantities of carbon. Fundamental to this will be understanding, measuring and communicating the climate impacts of grazing livestock in a more holistic manner and considering the issues from a whole food system perspective.

…particularly in relation to nitrogen fertiliser and other fossil fuel derived inputs, to incentivise a move away from harmful farming practices.

…to establish a long-term business proposition for regenerative systems, reward farmers for the transition, and create clear and accurate labelling for consumers to help differentiate between the animal products which are part of the problem, and those which are part of the solution.

…to ‘prime the pump’ for the agricultural transition, including funding for participation in farm trials, investment in local food infrastructure and support for farmer knowledge exchange programmes.

…including around how the delivery of multiple ecosystem services can be accounted for. This would help address the evidence gap created by the historic lack of research into biologically based farming systems.