Trends and Challenges in the Bovine Meat and Dairy Sectors in Wallonia

The paper shows the great importance and the evolution of the cattle breeding sector
in Wallonia, which seems to decline (number of heads and number of cattle breeders) and is faced to economic problems. In addition, the challenges for the future are identified: population growth, changes in consumption patterns, new societal expectations, new structures of the food chain, emergence of different types of crises, and the Common Agricultural Policy for the period 2021-2027. To be more resilient in the future, the cattle breeding farm should be more diversified and autonomous, relying on the forage produced on farm and having more direct links with the consumers/citizens. This paper presents the results of the first step of a foresight research project dealing with the possible futures of cattle breeding in Wallonia. In the following steps, it will define contrasted scenarios for the year 2040.