Minister urges protection of native cattle breed to secure sector
With limited production capacity, the livestock sector must compete on quality, traceability and added value rather than volume.
Key Points
- Sector is small by international standards and reliant on a distinct native cattle breed.
- Competitiveness should come from quality, traceability and added value, not volume.
- Targeted measures needed to support breeders and safeguard genetic diversity.
- Combining breed conservation with a quality strategy is presented as the route to long-term viability.
Guillem Casal, Minister of Livestock, said the local cattle sector is small by international standards and rests on a distinct native breed that must be protected. He stressed that preserving that breed is a priority for the sector’s future.
Casal noted that production capacity is limited, so competitiveness cannot rely on volume. Instead, he argued, the sector’s advantage must come from quality — higher standards, traceability and added value that distinguish local products in niche markets.
Protecting the breed and the associated farming knowledge, he said, requires targeted measures to support breeders and safeguard genetic diversity. Those measures should aim to maintain viable herds while promoting sustainable practices that reinforce the sector’s identity.
According to Casal, the combination of breed conservation and a quality-focused strategy is the route to long-term viability for the country’s bovine sector.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: