Evolution of the production systems of the endangered cattle breed Mirandesa: threats and alternatives for family-farm systems
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abstract
Family-farm systems are largely dominant in the rural communities of northeastern Portugal. Familiar farming systems can be organized based on the interrelations and the diversity of its characteristics such as farmer's age, farm dimension, external resources, productive orientation, or livestock type and number.
A significant number of the regional family-farm systems raise Mirandesa cows, a local cattle breed classified as endangered in 1994. Since 1995 the Mirandesa veal enjoys a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in northeastern Portugal. The carcasses of weaning calves, that aren’t PDO, are currently paid 4 €/kg. The PDO producers receive 5,25€/Kg, a 31% higher premium price.
During the past 15 years, the number of family-farms decreased 64% (from 1465 in 1996 to 501 in 2008), and the number of breeding cows decreased 3.7% (4358 in 1996, to 4198 in 2008). The most resilient farms, practice a traditional production mode, with 3 to 10 cows average per farm. On these farms the gross margin for calf was in 1999, 50% higher than in more specialized farms (>10 cows). However, the number of more intensive is rapidly growing.
The PDO success is associated to the recent cereal prices collapse. It provided an opportunity to increase the livestock density and specialization in beef production, hanging the cow feeds on oat forage. A density of 0.3 - 0.5LSU/ha on the pasture areas, increased to 1.5-2LSU/ha. The intermediate consumptions of the production system, concentrated feeding, fertilizers and diesel had an inflation rate between 40% and 70%, in the period 2006-2011. These agriculture systems now give signs of rupture.
Competitiveness of the Mirandesa cattle production system in the future depends on the conversion of former cultivated areas into pastures and on the introduction of a new land management that promotes a higher cooperation/integration of the family-farm systems.
