Obliged permanent grasslands: main future of ruminant productions in Belgium?

A prospective exercise was initiated to identify the possible evolution of livestock farming systems in Belgium and especially in the Province of Luxemburg. After the definition of the current trend in farming systems, a scenario for the evolution of cattle farming systems was defined in a context of global markets, together with the adoption of a proactive posture to face society and environmental problems. It took into account the following trends: reduced consumption of animal products, a decrease of food waste, cattle production focusing on dairy production with meat becoming a by-product of these systems, use of sexed semen, cattle production concentrated on obliged permanent grassland, etc. The scenario, meeting national population needs together with a reduction in the environmental impact of this sector, was discussed with different stakeholder groups. The next step will be to define alternative scenarios and to identify political driving forces and supports necessary to orientate the sector in the shared direction.