In the Alpine region, grassland at higher altitudes is used for alpine pasture farming.
This is a seasonal economic activity during the growing season. The European Union is
aware of the importance of alpine pasture management and has taken measures within
the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy that are crucial for the sustainable
use and preservation of mountain pastures. Individual member states approach this
problem in different ways. In Slovenia, there are more than 200 mountain pastures where
livestock graze. In the periods 2015-2022 and 2023-2027, two agri-environmental and
climate payments (CAP) will be implemented: Herding on the mountain and mountain
grazing with a herder. The aim of this work was to investigate the situation of mountain
grazing in Slovenia through a literature and data analysis based on the participation of
breeders in agricultural policies. In Slovenia, cattle, horses and small ruminants are
grazed on mountain pastures. There are cattle, horse, and mixed pastures with at least
three species, as well as pastures for small ruminants and pure sheep and pure goat
pastures. We found that the average size of pastures and the number of livestock units
(LU) have increased in recent years in areas where they are included in the CAP Alpine
pasture operation. In 2021, the average size of a pasture was 36.38 ha, the average
number of animals in a pasture was 37.18 LU and the average stocking density was 1.35
LU/ha in Slovenia. Mountain pastures are managed in seven of the twelve statistical
regions of Slovenia.
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