This year, ACM and the Vila Real Agricultural Cooperative organised the Native Breeds Meeting on 29 November. Participants included breeders, technicians and representatives of other native cattle breeds such as Cachena, Barrosã, Mirandesa and Alentejana.
The day featured several activities for the delegation to enjoy, some technical and others recreational. Among these, we highlight the morning visit to the Casal da Bouça farm to learn about the extensive model promoted by the project. The delegation was welcomed by breeder Tommy Ferreira, who took the participants on a tour of his meadows and pastures to show them the interventions that had been made to improve soil fertility and forage productivity and the management of his herd with the acquisition of feeders, calf feeders and the handling system.
The delegation showed interest by asking the farmer several questions, and the group emphasised the importance of this type of projects that promote innovative techniques that improve the efficiency of livestock farms and promote good management practices for mountain ecosystems, grazing and animal welfare. At the end of the morning, there was still time for a meeting of project stakeholders between representatives of the four native breeds visiting, to debate and discuss the latest advances in the project, particularly in C3 commercial modernisation actions, which are the responsibility of ACM.
