Exploring relationships among different sustainability aspects in innovative livestock systems in Europe

Diaz Vicuna, E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0197-518X, Adams, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5699-7063, Smith, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9898-9288, Durand, M., van Wagenberg, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8813-3742, Caron, E., van den Pol-van Dasselaar, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9070-9704, Baumgart, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5858-5123, Schetelat, S., Sandor, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2007-992X, Gliga, A., Espagnol, S., Andersen, H. M.-L., Borek, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9414-3181, Jurga, P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9188-1565, van Leuffen, N., Heerkens, J. L.T., Yngvesson, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3123-2229, Oosterwijk, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5406-4189, Stokes, J., Forte, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0060-3851 and Hessle, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5195-1186 (2025) Exploring relationships among different sustainability aspects in innovative livestock systems in Europe. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 23 (1). 2601486. ISSN 1747-762X doi: 10.1080/14735903.2025.2601486

Abstract/Summary

European livestock farming reflects a range of systems characterized by diverse innovations to increase sustainability. This study aimed to highlight the relationships among different aspects of sustainability in various types of systems. Data were retrieved from 106 farms containing different animal species (dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs and poultry), using a modified version of the Excel-based questionnaire public goods tool. Each farm was assigned scores for 12 spurs (indicators) of sustainability. Based on these results, the farms were allocated into five clusters. Correlations among the spurs were evaluated, both across all farms and cluster-wise, with contrasting results. When analysed across all farms, several spurs from the environmental dimension were positively correlated with each other. Further, many of the environmental spurs were negatively correlated with spur profitability, which was positively correlated with spur social wellbeing and farm business resilience. A comparison of cluster-wise correlations showed a positive correlation between environmental spurs and spur profitability for large farms but a negative correlation for small farms. The diverging, yet complementary, correlation results from this study open the field to sustainable pathways that are capable of connecting realities with differing production systems and geographical areas while also incorporating their unique features.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127682
Identification Number/DOI	10.1080/14735903.2025.2601486
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Agri-Food Economics & Marketing
Publisher	Informa UK Limited
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item