Thus, quality characteristics associated with grazing on natural pastures and feeding with selected harvested forages will emerge. Systematic and scientifically proven correlation of grazing, feeding, product quality and economics will help reduce production costs and improve incomes, making extensive cattle farming economically significant and motivating producers.

Produced meat is expected to achieve higher prices (up to 30%), while the systematization of grazing will ensure lower feed costs. The economics of the farms will also be improved by the development of a separate commercially recognizable name (“brand”) for beef, “axios_meat”, which highlights the special characteristics of the meat associated with grazing and will contribute to its further integration into the market and to reduce dependence on the financial support of the CAP.

Axios Meat’s approach combines innovation in the identification and highlighting of the special characteristics of the meat of extensively farmed cattle in the Axios region with innovation in the commerciality and traceability of this particular meat. It is emphasized that the quality of the meat produced from extensive cattle in Greece has not been thoroughly studied, while also there are no products on the market that identify with the specific breeding system.

To date, policies to protect these farming systems have been limited to income support through subsidies. Axios Meat will lead to the creation of a new meat product ‘axios_meat’ highlighting quality characteristics associated with grazing in the Axios Delta. In this way, it will be possible to increase the commerciality of the meat and the financial support of the farms.