The decision was greeted with uproar. Because no one saw it coming. But perhaps also because Lactalis’ announcement to reduce its collection of 450 million liters of milk each year was made by a press release. A text undoubtedly written in very beautiful offices by people who have not put on a pair of boots for a long time. On farms throughout France, and not just those delivering their milk to Lactalis, the announcement was nevertheless experienced as a slap in the face. From 2025, the world number one milk producer will abandon 9% of its annual collection. The objective? Renounce the “surpluses” which served the export market and “better refocus on French consumer products, better valued”. The agri-food giant believes in particular that its French products are “less subject to the vagaries of global markets” and therefore safer.
So of course, the group shares “a difficult decision.” A slightest word. Because the consequences could be catastrophic for the industry and for nature. In the words of many observers from the agricultural sector, this choice could endanger thousands of farms in France. “There are people who have worked for Lactalis for forty years, who have delivered their milk to them for several generations. This company was their life, they had confidence in it. And there, they are told that they will soon no longer have a contract. Breeders are not numbers,” Yohann Barbe annoys.
A breeder in the Vosges, the president of the National Federation of Milk Producers (FNPL), a branch of the FNSEA, wants to “do everything” so that no producer “ends up on the side of the road”. Behind this commitment, the mission is colossal, because we will have to find other contracts in other dairies or other outlets. But above all, it could lead to an even greater concentration of dairy farming in certain sectors. The complete opposite of what environmental associations and agronomy specialists are demanding.
Breeders banned from speaking
When he started in 2002, Antoine Thibault was one of a thousand dairy farmers in the Eure department (Normandy). “Today, there are 350 of us,” explains the farmer, who produces 600,000 liters per year for the Sodiaal cooperative (Yoplait, Entremont or Candia brands). If the number of breeders has been divided by three, the quantity of milk produced has stagnated. If the Norman farmer decided to speak out in this Lactalis case, it is also to defend all his colleagues, reduced to silence by a non-communication clause enacted in the contract between the milk giant and its producers.
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Clearly, breeders cannot criticize anything, under penalty of losing their contract. “France is just a small pawn in the Lactalis empire. Some say they want to boycott their brands. But by doing this, it is the breeders that they are penalizing. So yes, some will be able to find a contract if they have a dairy near their home. But the others? The most isolated? », asks Antoine Thibault, before adding. “The problem with Lactalis is that they focused on their products like yogurts and cheeses without investing in finding other outlets. »
Roquefort, President, La Laitière…
A true agri-food empire, the company markets in particular the Bridel or Lactel brands that you know better through President Camembert, Société Roquefort or Galbani mozzarella. In 2022, it would have a turnover of more than 28 billion euros.
In its announcement, the milk giant has already indicated which areas would be targeted by a reduction in collection: Vendée, Marne, Haute-Saône and Vosges will be affected. “Only territories that are losing dairy production,” Yohann Barbe annoys. They do exactly the opposite of what we recommend. » If they are criticized for their methane emissions, ruminants also have a positive impact on nature, in particular through the use of grassy meadows, which promote biodiversity. The problem is when they are too concentrated, as is the case in certain sectors of Brittany for example.
In France, the herd is slowly decreasing from year to year. But by abandoning the least “profitable” territories, the giant will make the small ones disappear in favor of the bigger ones. “Lactalis is a bandit. They clearly told us that their objective was to have as few collection points as possible for reasons of profitability. They encourage concentrating farms in certain areas which are already saturated,” annoys Charlotte Kerglonou. An organic breeder in Ille-et-Vilaine, the spokesperson for the Confédération paysanne campaigns for “better distribution and less concentration” of breeding. “When farms become too big, we know that it becomes complicated to put the cows outside. This is not what we should aim for in our opinion. » Without guarantees, young people should not rush to take over farms under contract with the dairy giant either. “And with each farm that closes, you will see, we will plow everything to put in cereals,” warns the president of the National Federation of Milk Producers
A way to favor foreign milk?
Like all informed observers, the breeder and the head of the FNPL also fear that the drop in collection announced by Lactalis does not in reality hide a desire to bring in more milk from abroad. History of incorporating them into certain products such as butter, while proudly displaying the French flag and the President brand. During the negotiations around the Egalim law, the Lactalis group was the first to oppose this text supposed to protect producers. For years, the Mayenne-based group has also been fighting against the creation of a logo dedicated to French dairy products. Probably not a coincidence.
