The Flemish livestock population needs to be significantly reduced in order to achieve the climate targets. This is stated in a report by an advisory body to the Flemish government.
The report describes a scenario in which the number of pigs would be reduced by 15% and there would be 10% less poultry. The number of dairy cows should be reduced by a quarter and suckler cows should be reduced by a fifth. All in all, this would mean that almost 25 million animals are kept less by Flemish farmers.
According to the experts, this reduction is good not only for reducing CO2 emissions, but also for nitrogen emissions. In addition, less air pollution is generated by particulate matter, for example, and more space can be created for things like recreation. Biodiversity could also recover.
In addition to reducing the number of farm animals, the Flemish climate experts advocate changing eating habits with less meat and more vegetable food. They also see opportunities for more green energy in agriculture.
