Livestock farming is increasingly in the spotlight because of its impacts on the environment and human health. Global livestock production has been associated with land use change, methane emissions, climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss. At the same time, consumption of livestock proteins exceeds total human protein requirements for a healthy diet in most European Member States. The challenge is therefore to develop livestock production systems that enhance sustainability and support a healthy diet. Heartland (Health, Environment, Agriculture and Rural development: Training on LAND management) will connect one of the most notable industry initiatives (at the Lands at Dowth of Devenish Nutrition (DN) and Devenish Nutrition UK (DNUK)) to scientific knowledge on sustainable and healthy food production (generated at Wageningen University and Research (WUR), University College Dublin (UCD), University of Gloucestershire). The impact of this EID programme will be maximised by working closely with experts in communication and dissemination at the European Food Information Council and Bord Bia. The bold proposition underpinning Heartland is that sustainability and health are inextricably linked, all the way “from soil to society”: Sustainable food production = healthy farms producing healthy food for healthy people living in a healthy world. In other words, a programme that expands the concept of environmentally and economically sustainable farm management to include healthy food for a healthy society as a potential business opportunity in terms of adding value and a unique selling point to otherwise ‘commodity’ foods. The overall objective of this project is to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative PhD graduates to investigate how economically and environmentally sustainable ruminant livestock products of enhanced nutritional value can be developed through a pasture-based production system while complementing soil, sward, animal, environment and ultimately human health.
