Sustainable Livestock Farming in the European Union: A Study on Beef Farms in NUTS 2 Regions

Despite the significant role of beef in the European agri-food industry, its intensification challenges environmental sustainability, a focus of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023–2027. Balancing industry importance with sustainability is crucial. This study aims to address sustainability issues in livestock production by establishing a correlation between sustainability levels and regional specificities at the NUTS 2 level. The study aims to categorize more sustainable models, with a particular focus on cattle farming activities that exert minimal environmental pressure on renewable resources. The goal is to identify eco-friendly practices that align the best with environmental conservation efforts in agricultural settings within European Union countries. To achieve this, a survey was conducted, utilizing principal component analysis, followed by cluster and georeferenced analyses of structural and socio-economic data from the beef sector. This encompassed factors such as land use, physical farm dimensions, socio-economic and management characteristics, and environmental indicators. Sixteen indicators were extracted and analyzed from EUROSTAT datasets, referencing NUTS 2 regions, and the comprehensive analysis identified five clusters as distinct farm management models, distributed variably across the territory. The results demonstrate that the best-performing models exhibit significant differences in terms of farming intensiveness, geographical distribution, and economic profitability, underscoring a certain polarization between economic and environmental sustainability. This study innovatively guides EU sustainable agriculture initiatives by categorizing sustainability levels in diverse cattle farming contexts, considering regional specificity, and emphasizing environmental impact reduction. The results can inform policy decisions, guide financial incentives, and promote eco-friendly practices, shaping a more targeted and resilient European agricultural policy.