For ten years, Damien Lacombe has been the president of Sodiaal. With more than 15,000 breeders and more than 8,500 farms spread across 72 departments, it is today the leading dairy cooperative in France, and the third in Europe. With brands like Candia, Yoplait, or Entremont.
Before handing over to the head of Sodiaal on June 19, Damien Lacombe spoke to West France.
What is your state of mind as you leave the presidency of the Sodiaal cooperative?
I have the feeling of work accomplished, thanks to our collective. We have experienced complex periods: the end of milk quotas, the health problems surrounding infant milk with demands that have been raised everywhere and for which we had to invest massively, the consequences of the Covid crisis and the war in Ukraine. But after ten extremely difficult years for producers, with permanent deflation, we are finally releasing value that is returning to farms.
What made this change possible?
The general states of food and the Egalim law of 2018 have allowed us to place the cursor in the right place, it must be recognized. And this with committed work in dairy cooperation as part of the sector plan. Previously, agricultural sectors and breeders paid cash for enormous distribution pressure tactics. The new balance established in commercial relations has allowed a fair return to things, to return to something more reasonable.
The balance of power is clearly in favor of mass distribution.
How are relations with large retailers going today?
We remain very vigilant, because there is great pressure from distributors on public authorities. Relationships are always complex. It is still surprising to see the concentration that exists today in distribution, that this is authorized so easily by the competition authority. In France, there are only four players who buy from thousands of suppliers. The balance of power is clearly in their favor. Distributors must not call into question what has been acquired over the years, this is of capital importance for our breeders.
In these relations with large retailers, Emmanuel Macron mentioned the establishment of floor prices. What do you think ?
We already have, in the Egalim law, price indicators on which we base our commercial negotiations. There is a fear that floor prices will ultimately turn into ceiling prices. If it’s a European subject, why not. But it can’t be Franco-French.
Read also: Floor prices for agricultural products: what can we expect from Emmanuel Macron’s announcement?
Today, Sodiaal pays its producers at a level that you described as historic. But breeders have criticized the cooperative for years for prices that were too low. How did you experience these criticisms?
I sometimes experienced them with a feeling of injustice. Because I knew the work that was being accomplished within the cooperative, I…
