NEWS | Regional Government to open applications for conversion of dairy farms to beef farms in São Miguel, Terceira, and Graciosa
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, defended that cattle milk production in the Region should follow a path of recognition based on its environmental, economic, social and food excellence. He added that, in response to a proposal from the Azores Agricultural Federation, the Regional Government will open applications for the conversion of milk farms to beef farms in São Miguel, Terceira and Graciosa.
“We will open an application period for the conversion of dairy farms to beef cattle farms,” announced the Secretary for Agriculture.
This measure will be applied to the islands of São Miguel, Terceira, and Graciosa, with a view to rebalancing the sector and offering farmers alternative sources of income.
António Ventura emphasised that this is a necessary step to ensure that the Azorean milk sector remains sustainable and that producers’ interests are safeguarded in the face of current economic challenges.
The government official emphasised that the 2025 data show that the nutritional content has improved compared to the previous year, with higher protein and fat levels, which are essential parameters for human consumption and industrial processing.
“We believe that our milk and dairy products are valuable to humanity,” announced António Ventura.
He continued: “This is a nutritional, intergenerational and sustainability value stemming from our pastures, which play a crucial role in carbon retention.”
Despite the increase in quality, António Ventura regretted that this qualitative effort made by producers is not being properly acknowledged by the dairy industry.
The government official considered the recent drop in the price paid to producers as unjustified, noting that it cannot be explained solely by market forces.
The Regional Secretary pointed out excessive powdered milk production as one of the factors contributing to the devaluation of regional raw materials.
In 2024, with a production of 627,000 tonnes, the Azores produced 20,300 tonnes of powdered milk. This figure is proportionally much higher than that recorded in Mainland Portugal, which, with twice the total production (1.2 million tonnes), produced only 12,900 tonnes of powdered milk.
GRA/RÁDIOILHÉU
