BovINEBeef Innovation Network Europe
BovINENon-profit organisation (NPO) Liivimaa Lihaveis was established in 2010 by 14 innovative Estonian beef cattle producers. The aim of the NPO is to market and promote Estonian ecologically and sustainably grown grass-fed beef. Liivimaa Lihaveis is the creator and manager of Estonia’s only nationally recognised quality scheme “Production of Grass-fed Beef”. The quality scheme is directed at following the requirements of the rearing conditions and grazing methods of grass-fed cattle, and directing and advising the participating farmers by qualified advisors. As of now, there are over 100 farmers in Estonia who follow the quality scheme. Liivimaa Lihaveis has created an interactive video hub for the consumers, which includes recipes and cooking tips. Liivimaa Lihaveis cooperates with Liivimaa Lihasaaduste Wabrik, which markets the beef from the participating farms to restaurants, schools and kindergartens, and retail chains.
Liivimaa Lihaveis will work to form a beef network to identify Estonia beef farmers’ priority needs, identify good practices, and facilitate knowledge exchange between farmers and academic experts in Estonia and between Estonian and other European farmers trans-nationally. Thus it will operate across WP3-6. It will participate in WP7 to ensure effective dissemination of research results to end-users and to communicate about the project at national and EU level to a range of stakeholders including farmers, industry and policy makers. It will be involved in WP2 (providing insights as a producers’ association and also availing of training) to ensure an effective multiactor approach within BovINE. Thus, the role for Liivimaa Lihaveis in this consortium will consist of organising local activities (such as demo days and study days), setting up local networks (stakeholders and discussion groups) and disseminating the results of, and communicating about, BovINE.
Airi Külvet, member of the board of Liivimaa Lihaveis, has been active in grass-fed production for 20 years. She has a degree in animal science from the Estonian University of Life Sciences. As a farmer, she has introduced sustainable grazing methods, which would provide living conditions and habitats for all naturally occurring species as well as grass-fed cattle. Airi has also taught farmers in the framework of various projects led by cooperation partners Eesti Lihaveisekasvatajate Selts and Organic Farming Platform. She has a good grasp on the situation with the Estonian grass-fed beef farms, the advisors’ networks, and research and educational projects pertaining to grass-fed cattle.
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Please address all mail to:
FAO: Maeve Henchion
The BovINE Project
Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre
Dublin 15
D15 KN3K
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 rural
renaissance programme | Project No: 862590 under call H2020-RUR-2019-15