EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-06 – "Improving grassland management in European livestock farming systems"

1. Pan-European Strategic Fit

• Direct contribution to flagship EU agendas – CAP post-2027, Green Deal climate-neutrality, Biodiversity Strategy 2030, Nature Restoration Regulation and Organic Action Plan.

• Horizontal relevance – bridges Cluster 6 priorities with Climate, Digital, and Regional development policies, opening doors for follow-up funding (e.g., CAP eco-schemes, LIFE, Digital Europe data spaces).

2. Single Market Access (450 + million consumers)

• Market pull for low-carbon, biodiversity-positive dairy & meat – validated at EU scale, enabling harmonised labelling (e.g., Product Environmental Footprint, animal welfare scores) that facilitates intra-EU trade.

• Premium price opportunities – Eco-labelled grass-fed products command 10-20 % higher prices in Northern & Western EU; project evidence can generalise these premiums across Member States.

• Short supply-chain spin-offs – cross-regional GI/PGI applications for grass-fed products (e.g., “EU High-Nature Value Beef”) simplify mutual recognition inside the customs union.

3. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Mandatory multi-actor approach naturally builds a transnational consortium (research, advisory services, SMEs, NGOs, CAP paying agencies) – critical mass unattainable at national scale.

• Living Labs Network – link with Horizon Europe Partnership "Agroecology" allowing on-farm trials in at least 8 pedo-climatic zones (Atlantic, Continental, Mediterranean, Boreal, Alpine, etc.).

• Shared datasets & interoperability – federated EU grassland observatory using FAIR data principles, integrating JRC livestock intensity layers, Eurostat geospatial census and Copernicus imagery.

4. Alignment with EU Regulatory & Incentive Frameworks

• CAP Eco-schemes & Conditionality – methodologies developed by the project can become reference metrics for Member-State Strategic Plans, streamlining farmer compliance and unlocking direct payments.

• Carbon & Biodiversity Credits – project-derived MRV (monitoring-reporting-verification) protocols eligible under upcoming EU Carbon Removal Certification and Nature Restoration voluntary markets.

• Animal Health & Welfare Partnership – aligns grazing management with antimicrobial-reduction goals; results feed into EU animal welfare legislation revision (2027).

5. EU-Wide Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

• One common legal base for seeds, feed additives, veterinary products and environmental standards reduces transaction costs when scaling innovations EU-wide.

• Harmonised data protection rules (GDPR) facilitate exchange of farm-level data across borders once standard consent templates are prepared by the consortium.

6. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• Top research infrastructures – EMPHASIS (phenotyping), ICOS (greenhouse-gas flux towers), and ESA Copernicus DIAS platforms provide high-end services otherwise cost-prohibitive.

• SME acceleration via EIT Food & Regional Innovation Valleys – pilot decision-support tools can enter EIT Food accelerator and receive investor matchmaking.

• Human capital mobility – Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships can be embedded as work packages to strengthen excellence.

7. Funding Synergies & Leveraging Opportunities

| Instrument | Complementary Value |

|------------|---------------------|

| CAP Rural Development (EAFRD) | Fund farm-level pilots & advisory services after RIA phase |

| LIFE Nature & Climate | Upscale grassland restoration demonstrated by the project |

| Digital Europe & Data Spaces | Finance an EU Grassland Data Space for long-term maintenance of project datasets |

| InvestEU & EIB Agriculture Window | Offer blended finance for machinery/cooperative investments aligned with project KPIs |

| Interreg Euro-MED / Baltic | Transfer methodologies to bordering macro-regions |

8. Scale & Impact Potential

• Replication in >15 M ha of EU permanent grasslands; even a 3 % adoption yields:

• 7–10 Mt CO₂-eq yearly mitigation (1 % of EU LULUCF target).

• €1.2 bn net farm income gain through reduced inputs & premium products.

• Policy uptake – KPIs can be embedded into the 2028 CAP performance framework, giving the project institutional longevity.

• Socio-economic cohesion – focus on marginal & depopulating regions leverages Cohesion Funds, aligning with Just Transition Mechanism.

9. Unique EU-Scale Strategic Advantages

1. Critical mass of heterogeneity – only an EU-wide sample can capture the full gradient of soils, climates and grazing intensities required for robust, exportable models.

2. Legitimacy & standard-setting power – results recognised by DG AGRI, DG CLIMA, DG ENV carry regulatory weight, accelerating standardisation far beyond what a Member State could achieve.

3. Network effects – pan-EU farmer & advisor communities built through the project lower future dissemination costs for other Horizon, LIFE or CAP projects.

10. Actionable Recommendations for Applicants

• Secure partners from at least 10 Member States covering all major biogeographical regions; include at least one widening country for extra evaluation points.

• Plan a Data & IP Commons: open-licence agronomic datasets + proprietary SaaS modules for decision support → de-risk public good vs commercial outputs.

• Allocate a work package on EU policy interfacing (staff secondments to DG AGRI/JRC) to fast-track uptake into CAP monitoring.

• Build an exploitation alliance with organic certifiers & retailers to bring grass-fed eco-labels to market before project end.

• Design co-investment roadmaps with EIB/InvestEU early (TRL 7-8), ensuring financial continuity after RIA phase.

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Harnessing these EU-level advantages turns the project from a research exercise into a cornerstone of Europe’s transition towards climate-neutral, biodiversity-rich and economically vibrant livestock systems.