Pastoralism is a traditional activity based on extensive farming and practiced in rural areas across Europe. Pastoral areas have been recognised as sites of 'World Heritage' by UNESCO for over 25 years. Pastoralism is, however, under threat due to many different factors, including land pricing, challenges of passing on know-how, competition in the use of land as well as coexistence with certain large carnivores, states Jacques Blanc (EPP/FR), Mayor of Canourgue, whose draft own-initiative opinion on Agropastoralism was adopted at the CoR's NAT Commission meeting.
There are many benefits to pastoralism: It supports farming as an economic activity and helps maintain population in rural areas by allowing people to continue to live in areas where intensive farming methods cannot be applied. The extensive farming activities of pastoralism deliver benefits related to climate and biodiversity and help combat forest fires and avalanches.
Rapporteur Blanc calls for more support for pastoralism in the reform of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). He argues that pastoralism should be eligible for basic payments, and predator attacks should be better compensated. The next revision of the EU Habitat directive should be an opportunity to better adapt to the growing populations of large carnivores such as wolves, the rapporteur states.
"Maintaining ecologically and economically sustainable pastoralism is vital not only for farming across the EU, but also for achieving biodiversity conservation targets", underlined EPP-CoR member Csaba Borboly (EPP/RO), President of Harghita county council during the debate. Member States should fully use the financial tools provided by CAP to fund investments and to support pastoralism, he said.
The draft opinion will be put to vote in the October Plenary session of the CoR.