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MESMIS methodology (Ridaura et al., 2002) has been tested to assess sustainability of two different commercial flocks within the breeding scheme of the Latxa sheep in the Basque Country. The evaluation is based on technical, economical, environmental and social indicators derived from a SWOT analysis of the system. The assessment has been made by the comparison of two commercial flocks managed under different environmental conditions by means of specific nutrition and reproduction practices. To do so, data were collected from the farms (surveys, milk recording, advisory programmes); indicators values were estimated and scored between certain minimum and maximum values according to data from the existing literature and experts' opinion. MESMIS methodology allowed identifying the features contributing to sustainability in relation to productivity, confiability, stability, resilience, adaptability, equity and self-sufficiency, as well as proposing guidelines for improvement.
