Abstract:

The “Animal Welfare” eco-scheme, implemented in Poland under the National Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023–2027, covers suckler cows and fattening cattle through a points-based system comprising increased space allowance, straw bedding, grazing, access to outdoor exercise areas, open-system housing, and responsible antimicrobial use within quality assurance schemes. This article critically analyses these practices in terms of their simultaneous effects on animal welfare, greenhouse gas emissions, and the distinct economic characteristics of extensive beef production. A review of peer-reviewed scientific literature indexed in Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect indicates that space allowance and floor type measurably affect welfare indicators in growing beef cattle; that pasture-based systems shift nitrogen losses from ammonia towards pasture-derived nitrous oxide while potentially benefiting from soil carbon sequestration; and that higher welfare standards in extensive suckler-cow and beef-production systems entail documented costs that are not fully compensated under the current livestock-unit (LSU) degressivity thresholds. The article argues that, after 2027, the eco-scheme should introduce a sector-specific degressivity bracket for suckler cows and fattening cattle above 150 LSU, reflecting the structural cost profile of extensive, pasture-based beef production documented in the literature.