The suitability for organic cattle beef production of mixed farming systems in the highlands of north east Portugal

The EC Reg. 1804/99 takes account of animal production in organic farming. However, these specifications may limit implementation and expansion of organic animal production, due to environmental and system constraints. Mixed farming, as defined by Spedding (1988) and Grigg (1996), is commonly practiced in the NE highlands of Portugal. Two farms were studied in this region in order to evaluate their suitability for organic cattle beef production, taking account of the technical specifications of the EC regulation. Materials and methods Two farms were monitored for a year (autumn 2002-03); one located near Montalegre (F1) (41º 36’ N, 7º 55’ W and 950 m asl) and the other near Vinhais (F2) (41º 53’ N, 6º 58’ W and 700 m asl). The long-term annual rainfall is 1531 and 741 mm and the annual mean temperature 9.6 and 12 ºC, respectively. The farms, F1 and F2, produce beef cattle from the “Barrosã” and “Mirandesa” breeds, respectively. Farm activities and components such as inputs, outputs, yield and flows between state variables were recorded. Results Legumes are present in meadows, although with low mean values, i.e. 7 % (F1) and 15 % (F2). Farm F1 has a larger area of grassland and other forage crops than F2 (96.4 % compared to 40.6 %), less cropland based on cereals and crucifers (11.5 % compared to 40.6 %), 7-8 times less off-farm nitrogen (inorganic-N fertilisers) and grazing accounts for a higher proportion of the cattle diets (67.3 % compared to 51.9 %). Considering these as criteria for suitability for organic farming, F1 is better suited for organic beef production.