“We never take a vacation, we never feel tested. But news like that is tiring“. The news in question is the announcement from the Lactalis group. Almost a month ago, Dirk Geysen, a dairy producer in Saint-Etienne-du-Bois in the north of Vendée, received a phone call announcing the end of his collaboration with the industrialist. Within two yearsLactalis will no longer collect its milk from the farm.
Two years of contract, and then we will have to look elsewhere. And two years goes by quickly, according to Dirk. “It's not much in the end, because we still have to manage farm affairs. And not sure we'll find a new collector by then.” This breeder of Belgian origin, established for four years now in Saint-Etienne-du-Bois, only produces organic milk with its 70 dairy cows. A market where competition is already very strong, and where it is difficult to find your place.
120 breeders without contract
The situation was therefore already difficult for Dirk and Hedwig, his wife and partner. The Lactalis announcement only darkens the future of their exploitation and many others. “As the market is very tight, there is already too much organic milk. There's no dairy waiting for us. For some farms, it will become complicated to survive“.
Dirk and Hedwig therefore think about what to do next, if they cannot find a new partner within the allotted time. They could even give up making organic milk to return to conventional agriculture. The only solution, perhaps, to find a dairy. A decision that would be made reluctantly. “It's hard to digest, we're disappointed“, Hedwig concedes. “It's our heart that speaks for us, it's anger that takes over. We don't know where to go in the years to come“.
The two Belgian breeders have come back and they are not the only ones. In the southern part of the Loire" rel="tag">Pays de la Loire region, 120 breeders are affected today by a breach of contract with the giant Lactalis. Breeders from Vendée, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire as well as some producers located in Deux-Sèvres. “From one day to the next, some find themselves dropped like rags. And it hurts my heart“, adds Brice Guyau, president of the FDSEA of Vendée.
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Lactalis' decision therefore only aggravates an already clearly visible agricultural crisis. With very complicated weather in recent monthswhich does not help for many crops and also penalizes other sectors. Several milk collectors, such as Terrena and LSDH, have announced that they can take over part of the contracts let go by Lactalis. It remains to be seen when, how, and if all breeders will be able to benefit from it.
