For over a year now, the SOMMET DE L’ELEVAGE has set itself the goal of becoming the world’s N° 1 sustainable livestock farming event.
5 auction sales of livestock 100 conferences and symposiums 1 energy transition agora 35 farm and agro industrial site visits 1 International Gala Evening “It was important for us to make it our hobbyhorse because our event began and has developed in the heart of the Massif Central region, an unspoilt area, 70% of which is permanent pasture. And it is in this ecosystem that a sustainable livestock model based on pastoralism has been naturally developed by farmers over the years.
This is what our event is all about, making the sustainable dimension our major ambition for the future and the agriculture of tomorrow by promoting all forms of progress in the preservation of nature and humankind,” as explains the show’s General Manager, Fabrice Berthon. “At a time when everyone is talking about sustainability, everybody is still trying to define the concept”, he goes on to add.
So then, what is a sustainable farming system?
“A sustainable livestock farming system means, first and foremost, farms of a human scale, with working conditions that are favourable for both the farmer and their livestock.
It also means grass-fed animals and «self-sufficient» farms, with recognised benefits for the ecosystem, such as preserving the biodiversity, minimising forest depletion and storing carbon. On this last point, ruminant farming emits GHG’s, that’s a fact.
But it also offsets! When you consider the virtues of grass as a carbon sink, in France we can take pride in having a ruminant farm based on a grassland system that offsets some of the CO2 emitted.
In fact, it is one of the few economic activities that can offset part of its emissions through its own activity. And finally, sustainability in livestock farming means a strong link with the local area, for healthy, open landscapes, a positive economic and social value, and a strong cultural identity.
It is also important to stress that some areas would not be what they are today without livestock farming.
All these subjects are widely addressed and promoted by the SOMMET DE L’ELEVAGE.
And with its new ambition of «becoming the world leader in sustainable livestock farming», the SOMMET is looking to the future to determine how ruminant livestock farming can be even more effective in meeting these challenges.
The challenge is not to pit agriculture and the environment against each other, but rather to create a symbiotic relationship between them.”
Bruno DUFAYET, farmer & President of APRAMAC (Association for the Promotion of Agriculture in the Massif central)
