Agriculture–Environment Schemes Should Consider Farmers’ Socio-Cultural Background: A Case Study of Estonian Beef Cattle Farmers

In Europe, intensive agriculture threatens species-rich semi-natural communities that have emerged from traditional agricultural activities. To protect these communities, subsidies are given to farmers through agri-environmental schemes (AESs). However, after nearly twenty years in operation, the uniform support system for farmers has not produced the expected results. Therefore, we conducted 15 semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews with beef cattle farmers in Estonia and identified the socio-ecological aspects of their activities. We found that small-scale farmers cannot compete with intensive farmers in the meat market because many breeds with slower weight gain and smaller body weights are grazed in semi-natural grasslands. Although two food quality schemes have been created in Estonia to value extensively grown meat, the permanent agricultural grasslands are under-supported, and the family farmers managing these areas feel the unfair distribution of subsidies. Moreover, family farms cannot compete with large farms, as the availability of pastures on family farms limits the number of livestock, and European Union animal welfare requirements and extreme weather conditions in 2023 have limited the number of herds. Since AESs have a large impact on farmers, we recommend that they be more flexible and consider the socio-cultural background of farmers and their impact on local communities when defining support.