Livestock Sector in Serbia: Challenges, Structural Gaps, and Strategic Pathways Towards Sustainability

The livestock sector in Serbia has been experiencing a prolonged period of structural and economic challenges, characterized by decreasing animal numbers, low productivity, and reduced competitiveness in both domestic and EU markets. This study analyses the key structural, technological, economic, and policy factors shaping these trends to provide strategic recommendations for sustainable sector revitalization. The methodology integrates macroeconomic analysis, agricultural economic accounts, and international trade data, applying regression modelling to examine relationships between domestic food prices, exchange rates, and agri-food import volumes. The results indicate that livestock’s share of agricultural gross value added remains below 35%, significantly lower than EU averages, while export quotas remain underutilized and the trade balance for animal products is persistently negative. Contributing factors include fragmented farm structures, outdated production technologies, limited adoption of innovations, demographic decline in rural areas, and insufficient alignment with EU CAP Strategic Plans and Green Deal objectives. Climate change impacts, such as droughts and heat stress, alongside animal disease outbreaks and macroeconomic pressures, further exacerbate these vulnerabilities. The study recommends modernizing production systems through investment in technological upgrades, strengthening farmer organizations and cooperatives, enhancing biosecurity and animal welfare standards, and improving policy frameworks to align with EU sustainability objectives. Emphasis is placed on developing integrated approaches that simultaneously address productivity, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability. Implementing these strategic measures is essential for enhancing food security, supporting rural development, and ensuring Serbia’s successful integration into the EU market as part of a more sustainable and resilient agri-food system.