Behind the Scores: Evaluating Sustainability Constructs and Farm Structural Factors in European Livestock Systems

Sustainability assessments rely on composite scores to evaluate farm performance across environmental, eco-nomic, and social dimensions, but their reliability is often overlooked. This study examines the Public GoodsTool (PGT) results across 106 European livestock farms, assessing its reliability and the role of key structuralfarm variables in driving sustainability. Given Europe’s diverse livestock systems, ensuring indicator robustnessis essential for effective policy evaluations. Using Cronbach’s alpha (α), we analyse the internal consistency ofthe PGT’s sustainability constructs. Results reveal high reliability for constructs like Profitability (α = 0.94) andNPK Budget (α = 0.87). In contrast, others, such as Animal Welfare (α = 0.33), Energy & Carbon (α = 0.44), andLandscape & Heritage (α = 0.42), lack consistency, indicating a need for refinement. Logistic regression showsthat structural farm variables significantly impact sustainability performance. For instance, growing more diversecrops enhances system security, while higher livestock densities negatively affect environmental dimensions. Ourfindings highlight the importance of reliability testing in sustainability assessments and the impact of structuralfarm characteristics on evaluation frameworks. Refining low-reliability constructs and integrating key farm vari-ables could enhance the PGT’s applicability for sustainable livestock farming in Europe.