The final report of the EIP-AGRI Focus Group – “Profitability of Permanent Grassland” – addressed the challenge of evaluating the current situation of permanent grassland and identified approaches and future research actions to increase their productivity in a sustainable way.
The objectives of this focus group were to:
- Identify and describe the main farming systems using permanent grassland;
- Define good practices on PG to improve the productivity, efficiency and profitability of animal production systems;
- Identify practices which improve PG composition in order to develop premium and functional products;
- Identify PG management practices which enhance animal welfare and health;
- Define key traits that relate PG management with biodiversity and carbon footprint and find examples of strategies that combine maintenance or enhancement of biodiversity and low carbon footprint;
- Identify the fail factors that limit the use of the identified techniques/systems by farmers and summarise how to address these factors.
The Focus Group identified practical recommendations and potential innovation and research gaps. One of the main outcomes was the recognition that farmers have the most direct contact with PGs meaning that communication between different sectors involved in PG management should be improved to ensure that available knowledge and technologies are effectively applied at the field level.
Read the full report here.
Add Comment