The project will assess the sustainability of diverse European sheep production systems focusing on the ecological footprint, animal welfare aspects and nutrition value of lamb meat. The outcomes of these assessments will be used to understand the potential future barriers that limit the innovative capacity and development of the sector and the opportunities that may provide a future market niche against competitive products from other global markets. The project will engage trans-national research and industry stakeholders from 6 countries made up of Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey to analyse on numerous case study farms; resource-efficient, competitive and low-carbon lamb production models. Termed "EcoLamb", the ecologically sound and nutritionally superior lamb meat identified by the consortium will be branded and marketed through out Europe as state-of-the-art meat production technology. Direct linkage between animal welfare, meat quality and pharmaceutical use will also be determined using innovative Precision Farming techniques. Farm solutions that incorporate consumer expectations for animal welfare and meat quality will enhance the competitiveness of Europe's lamb meat sector. The project will produce a tool box of recommendations for productive sheep farm management, supply chain and marketing on how to improve the acceptability of lamb meat by consumers. The multidisciplinary approach and the multi-actor involvement of the EU sheep sector will assist in re-designing critical aspects to increase society acceptance and the place of lamb meat in future diets. The outcomes of the project will be used by stakeholders to promote changes in farm management, marketing and processing of meat from sheep.
Additionally, results will be used by farm consultants, farmer groups and policy officers to re-design consulting approaches and plan new initiatives to make all aspects of the European sheep industry more sustainable.

• Azione Eranet SUSAN ID 48 Ecolamb 2017-2020

• Brugiapaglia A.*, Lussiana C., Lorenzo J., Baratta M. - Health implication of Biellese lamb meat consumption - ICoMST 2019.
• Coelho-Fernandes S.C., Félix-Oliveira D., Gonzales-Barron U., Cadavez V. - Incidence Of Hygiene Indicator Bacteria And Pathogens On Carcasses Of Portuguese Lamb Breeds - AIDA 2019, XVIII Jornadas sobre Producción Animal
• Santos-Rodrigues G., Lorenzo J. M., Gonzales-Barron U., y Cadavez V. - Physiochemical Characteristics And Texture Of Lamb Meat From Two Authoctonous Portuguese Breeds AIDA - (2019), XVIII Jornadas sobre Producción Animal
• Cruz1 B. C., Cerqueira J., Araújo J. P., Gonzales-Barron U. y Cadavez V. - Study Of Growth Performance Of Churra-Galega-Bragançana And Bordaleira-De-Entre-Douro-E-Minho Lamb Breeds AIDA - 2019. XVIII Jornadas de Producción Animal
• Bodas, R.; Montañés, M.; Cadavez, V.; Peric, T.; Baratta, M.; Ko, N.; García-García, J.J. - Qualitative Behaviour Assessment In Intensively And Extensively Reared Lambs - EAAP Conference 2019
• Chiesa F., Morra P., Viola I., Perona G., Civera T., Baratta M. - Microbiological quality of lamb meat raised in intensive and extensive systems in Italy - EAAP Conference 2019
• Félix-Oliveira D., Coelho-Fernandes S.C., Gonzales-Barron U., Cadavez V. - Evolution Of Spoilage Microorganisms In Vacuum-Packed Meat From Two Portuguese Lamb Breeds AIDA - (2019). XVIII Jornadas de Producción Animal
• Raúl Bodas Rodríguez. Producción Sostenible De Carne De Cordero En Europa Y Evaluación Del Bienestar Animal - Ovinnova Conference 2019
• Fernandes E., Cadavez V., Celaya R., Gonzales-Barrón U., Cerqueira J.L. y Rosa García R. - Biodiversity Associated To Portuguese Sheep Production Systems - AIDA (2019). XVIII Jornadas de Producción Animal
• Rocío Rosa García, Tanja Peric, Vasco Cadavez, Nathanael Ko, Joaquim Lima Cerqueira, Ruggero Pietro Stanganello, Elisa Fernandes, Rafael Celaya, Úrsula Gonzales-Barrón, Mario Baratta - Biodiversity associated to European sheep grazed pastures - FAO CIHEAM network, Meknes 2019

• DISAFA - Italia
• Centro Tecnolóxico da Carne (CTC)
• Consellería de Medio Rural e do Mar of Xunta de Galicia
• Instituto Tecnològico Agrario de Castilla y Leòn – ITALCYL – Spain SERIDA - Spain
• Mountain Research Centre (CIMO) - School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Braganza (IPB) - Portugal
• University of Stuttgard – Germany
• Univerza v Novi Gorici (UNG) - Slovenia
• Adnan Menderes University – Turkey