In the first 18 months of the project, the PATHWAYS participatory approach involved the training of Practice Hubs (i.e. groups of farmers in 16 innovative case studies) and Multi-Actor platform (MAP, i.e. European livestock sector stakeholders from policy, NGOs and research) facilitators, the initiation of Practice Hub and MAP activities and the development of visions for sustainable livestock systems in 2050. Practice Hubs were furthermore involved in on-farm data collection and the formulation of ideas for Living Labs to be initiated by the project. Members of the MAP participated in a workshop on scenario development, which further defined the visions developed by Practice Hubs and MAP into five initial storylines. Work on the “Holistic Policy and Innovation Evaluation Framework” began with a review of impacts of past EU policies on the sustainability of the livestock sector, and the current and proposed EU policy framework relating to livestock production. Furthermore, interviews with policymakers and other stakeholders from NGOs, farm advisory and research were carried out to gain insight into the dynamics of livestock policy development to inform the evaluation framework. To define the Status Quo of European livestock farming, PATHWAYS has characterized 171 livestock production systems for 8 livestock categories, producing maps and a dataset to highlight the systems’ attributes. At the same time, the project identified indicators for animal welfare, biodiversity, and emissions factors, to be included in the evaluation framework. Work on life cycle assessment (LCA) included building a framework for methodology development, and an ongoing review of methodologies relevant for livestock systems. Work on ecosystem services and carrying capacities linked to livestock production focused on engaging stakeholders through a survey around prioritising ecosystem services, as well as developing concepts, data and methods to set up the geo-SOL model. Work on nutritional aspects has identified data sources for defining i) the nutritional needs of different groups, ii) the nutritional composition of a large range of food products, and iii) environmental impact of food products. A first sample of a hundred products has been included in the food basket calculator. The physical flows of the most relevant livestock value chains at the European scale have been mapped and existing sustainability assessment tools and methods have been reviewed as a first step to develop a methodology to evaluate the sustainability performances of these value chains. The website development, online resources, communication materials and dissemination events have contributed to the success of the project in having a solid following and outreach for the first 18 months. PATHWAYS has been represented at 12 external events and has had 5,294 visitors on its website, 205 subscribers and 831 cumulative followers on social media.