Strategies that can ensure a fairer distribution of the final price along the food chain are short supply chains, association of producers, direct communication between producers and consumers and sale of local products.
The present Good Practice is implemented by an association of 5 organic farmers in the Navarrese Pyrenees, creating the company Trigo Limpio, who wanted to control the transformation and the commercialization of their meat (fresh meat and meat products).
Trigo Limpio is an agricultural company, which has been created by the association of 5 livestock farmers in the north of Navarra, whose objective is to control the meat supply chain of their production. To do this, these farmers created their own cutting and processing room in a small village, and consumers can make their purchases on this local, or order on an online shop. Consumers have then the possibility to be delivered at their homes by the farmers. Trigo Limpio serves also retailers, consumer associations, collective restoration and participates in public tender processes for collective canteen services. The aim of the company is to create a direct relationship between producers and consumers, allowing to sell meat and other products at a fair price in a transparent way, and maintaining a sustainable production system (organic). The main benefits are: to valorise local and organic production, to control the whole meat process, to sell meat and other products at just prices, and to enhance market transparency. The main challenges were to create a direct relationship with consumers, to produce their products with sustainable production systems (extensive and organic production)the fact this is a project too huge to be made by a few people, and the cost of meat products elaboration which needs be refrigerated during all the process.
Key success factors for implementation are different means for consumers to order and to receive their orders: consumer can order thanks to the website or by telephone, and deliveries are received either directly by the consumer or at different points in Navarre linked to the project. They also started to work with fewer animals and to produce organically. Three main lessons learned by implementation are:
1. The creation of an own cutting processing room permits a better communication and trust between consumers and farmers as well as that it creates employment in small villages,
2. Association of several producers that allows to deliver products throughout the year,
3. The collaboration between livestock farmers allows mutual support and accumulating experience by knowledge sharing, and consequently enhances confidence on the consumer side.
Impact on socio-economic resilience
Collaboration between a group of livestock farmers allows mutual support and knowledge sharing.Direct sale allows selling meat and other products at fair prices, by letting the producer side deciding the prices of its products.
Direct sale permits valorisation of local and organic primary production.
The cutting room maintains life and employment in rural villages.
Direct relationship with consumers leads to a trust establishment, sharing of information and then a greater market transparency.
The production system has a greater resilience due to inputs which are based on the territory’s natural resources and the outputs selling without intermediaries. There is consequently a lower incidence of volatile market prices.
Impact on animal health and welfare
The production system is organic, and breeds used are autochthonous (adapted to local life conditions).
Impact on production efficiency and meat quality
Grouping supply and marketing allows accessing the consumer side with a more regular supply.
The meat is produced organically.
Impact on environmental sustainability
All the meat supply chain is local and direct, so that leads to a lower carbon footprint, as well as the type of production which is organic.
This type of production maintains autochthonous breeds and communal mountain pastures.
FARMER COMMENT
Patxi Antxorena - Garralda (Aezkoa)
"Being grouped allows us to offer the full variety of Trigo Limpio products throughout the year"
Juan Martin Elizondo - Aribe (Aezkoa)
"In these ten years we have accumulated experience and trust with the consumer and it has encouraged us to take another important step in the exploitation and betting on the meat cutting and transformation room in our area"
Maitina Gutierrez - Saragueta (Arce Valley)
“It is a very simple concept of trying to live without spoiling life too much, the earth, which is already quite damaged”
Gabriel Errandonea - Bera
“We have lived our whole lives in the farmhouse with our grandparents, parents and siblings... And we have to continue, keep advancing without letting the towns, their people and landscapes disappear”
Audio-visual material
Further information
Trigo Limpio website: https://www.carneecologicanavarra.com/index.php
AEN (Association of Organic Farming Companies of Navarre) website: https://aenavarra.com/asociados/trigo-limpio/
Udalbiltza website: https://www.udalbiltza.eus/es/hartueman/pyrenees-trigo-limpio