The brand "Natural Meadow Product" enters a new stage of developmentThe brand "Natural Meadow Product" enters a new stage of development

After a two-year implementation phase, the "Natural Meadow Product" brand created by the Latvian Nature Fund (LDF) is reaching a new level of development – from now on, it will be managed by the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (LLKC).  The "Natural Meadow Product" label is awarded to producers who manage natural grasslands and create related products and services, and has currently been awarded to more than 40 businesses throughout Latvia.

Natural meadows currently cover only 0.9% of Latvia's territory, whereas a hundred years ago they covered about 30% of the country's territory. In order for natural meadows to continue to exist, they must be managed – by mowing or grazing. The brand and label "Natural Meadow Product" were created to promote the recognition of such products, as well as to support and motivate producers who maintain and care for natural grasslands. Their creation and development was part of the ambitious LatviaNature project, one of the goals of which is to create innovative tools for entrepreneurs to get involved in preserving biodiversity.

“We have achieved a lot in two years – we have created a reliable system for awarding the label, brought together a large number of meadow product producers who have also become our best ambassadors, promoted the creation of new meadow products, and introduced the public to this label at markets, events, schools, and elsewhere. We are pleased that the Latvian Rural Advisory and Education Center will continue to develop the label in the future, thus providing Latvian farmers with a new opportunity to increase the added value of their products," says Inga Muižniece, representative of the Latvian Nature Fund and manager of the creation of the "Natural Meadow Product" label.

The label has currently been awarded to 41 producers, whose range includes more than 400 different meadow-related products and services.

Currently, 17 tourism offers, 12 beef producers, 9 meadow herb tea producers, 7 cosmetics producers, as well as producers of lamb, sheep's wool, honey and other products can boast this label. Meadow products also include natural meadow plant seeds, meadow sorbet, and ceramics.

It is important for us to farm in an environmentally friendly way. Our cattle graze on natural pastures, helping to maintain biodiversity. The “Natural Pasture Product” label on our products assures customers that by choosing them, they are not only buying high-quality food, but also supporting nature conservation and sustainability," says Artūrs Vīgants, representative of the beef cattle farm "NEGANTIgardi" and user of the "Natural Meadow Product" label.

The Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre is a partner of the LDF in the LatViaNature project and will continue to ensure the development of the Natural Meadow Product label, maintain the community of natural meadow product producers, and ensure the communication and recognition of the label, while the Latvian Nature Fund will retain its supervisory function, including continuing to certify producers to ensure the continuity of the brand's core values and quality standards.

“The maintainers of natural meadows are the guardians of our rural wealth – they care for the environment and at the same time create products that embody the taste and beauty of Latvian nature. LLKC is delighted to continue developing the “Natural Meadow Product” label, as it combines two values that are important to us – local production and the preservation of natural diversity. Our task is to help producers develop businesses that are both economically viable and environmentally friendly. The "Natural Meadow Product" label helps entrepreneurs strengthen their position in the market showing that high-quality, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly businesses are the way of the future, highlighting their work and the added value created by maintaining meadows," emphasizes Agnese Radžele-Šulce, Director of Strategy and Commercial Development at LLKC.

Ieva Saleniece, Nature Conservation Agency, LatViaNature Project Manager: "The 'Natural Meadow Product' label is a very important initiative - it fulfills three tasks at once - it links entrepreneurship with nature conservation, thereby motivating meadow owners, promoting the management of natural meadows necessary for their preservation, and raising public awareness of the importance of natural meadows and their management for Latvia's biodiversity.  The transfer of the brand to LLKC is a sustainable step towards further developing the brand created in the LatViaNature project and the great work that has been done, alongside other brands maintained by LLKC, such as Novada garša.

The project "Optimization of the management and administration of Natura 2000 protected areas" (LIFE19IPE/LV/000010 LIFE-IP LatViaNature) is implemented with the financial support of the European Union's LIFE program and the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development.