Context:

As everywhere in the European Union, the end of the administrative management of milk volume and the volatility of the market increased the competition amongst dairy industries, dairy farms and dairy areas. The common challenge lies in the competitiveness of dairy cattle and related sectors. Rhône-Alpes region is involved in these issues.

Dairy managers and representatives are really concerned about the future of dairy farmers in the region: which system, what size, which markets for each territory… They have strongly expressed the need for foresight, comparison with other dairy regions and for solutions to adapt to the new challenges of dairy farming.

Partnership and governance (activity):

As a steering committee, the “Progress and experiment council” coordinates this program and follows the tasks with its board of farmers. The technical partners lead the Operational Group and identify innovations and good practices in animal husbandry. All partners and breeders involved in this group bring their complementary points of view on them.

• Pôle d’Expérimentation et de Progrès Bovin Lait: Coordinator
• Rhone-Alp’Elevage (livestock association – Farmers board)
• Farmers
• FIDOCL (milk performance recording organization & technical advice)
• Chambres d’Agriculture (technical and strategic advice)
• Institut de l’Elevage (Idele) (advice & methodological supports)
• Centre d’Elevage de Poisy (Training centre for farmers)

Lycée du Valentin and Cibeins (High school)

Objectives:

Through the networking of farmers, advisors and scientists, this EURODAIRY Rhône-Alpes project aims to:

• Work and exchange ideas with 20 partners from 14 EU countries and main dairy areas (meetings, methods, innovations & demonstration transfer),
• Look forward to innovations and good practices from scientific and technical literature, meetings, video exchanges or identified directly on farms
• Try, practice and analyze innovative solutions to get some results, benchmarks and comparison data to develop the competitiveness of dairy farms in Rhône-Alpes

Number of farms:
12 Pilot Farms

Funding Organisations::
Centre d’élevage de Poisy – Poisy training center