in Normandy, dairy farmers no longer want to be the milk cows of industrialists

“Here, they not only skim the milk, but also the producers.” Faced with a gigantic President sign, Alexis Lavalley, a dairy farmer, looks away. He has been delivering milk from his 180 cows to this Lactalis factory in Isigny-le-Buat, in Manche, for twenty years. But this Monday, January 29, the pride of working for this “beautiful French company” gave way to “disgust”. “When I saw the price at which they were going to buy our milk, I was disgusted”says the forty-year-old, next to his tractor.

With members of the FDSEA de la Manche and Young Farmers (JA), a few dozen came to block the largest butter factory in Europe, owned by the global milk giant, Lactalis. Each year, 50,000 tonnes of butter sticks come out of this large cream-colored shed, manufactured in particular thanks to the production of more than 300 breeders in the region. However, that day, some of them brought their tractors to erect a filter dam in front of the factory. While the anger of farmers is heard throughout France, Normandy dairy farmers are determined to no longer be the cash cows of industrialists.

Milk prices too low

A few weeks earlier, the purchase price of milk fell like a chopping block among breeders: due to a lack of agreement between the National Union of Livestock Breeders Lactalis (Unell) and the number one dairy products producer in the world, the price of The purchase for December 2023 – 405 euros for 1,000 liters – has been renewed for January. “It doesn’t fit at all with our production cost, which is between 470 and 490 euros”explains Alexis Lavalley, partner with his wife and mother on the family farm. “Lactalis decrees the price without negotiations. It’s completely absurd.” Tuesday January 23, Lactalis accepted the mediation requested by Unell.

In the small group of farmers gathered in front of the factory, the price of milk continues to fuel conversations and anger. Lactalis is the lowest paying company, according to the National Federation of Milk Producers. “They are the number one group in the world, they earn a lot of money, but they don’t pay the producers properly,” assures Nicolas Boulé, the local representative of the FDSEA. All are demanding a real application of the Egalim law which provides that the price of milk paid by companies takes into account the production costs of breeders. This is far from being the case according to them.

“When there is 1,000 euros left at the end of the month, we are happy,” blows Alexis Lavalley, father of three children. The latter did consider slamming the door on Lactalis, but “changing the collector is almost impossible”he breathes, resigned. “And what’s the point if the price is almost the same at the competitor’s?”

“We have two lords, Lactalis and Leclerc”

Among the young breeders in red overalls with the JA logo, Nicolas Legrand, just 24 years old, is also worried about this low purchase price. He has to settle down in two years, but has already planned to produce meat and laying hens to supplement his income. “By selling only milk, it would not be enough to live on”he explains, cigarette in hand.

“We all have the same worries”adds Antoine Lesénéchal, a dairy farmer for three years. “We are the only craftsmen who cannot set our selling price and pass on our cost increases.”

“The consumer has never paid so much for a carton of milk, and we have never bought milk so cheaply… There is a problem between the two.”

Antoine Lesénéchal, dairy farmer

at franceinfo

Manufacturers and distributors, who post record turnovers, are particularly targeted by breeders’ criticism. “We have two lords, Lactalis and Leclerc”repeats a milk producer, hat screwed on his head. “We are asking for a better distribution of margins”adds another, facing the deserted factory.

A minimum wage for 70 hours per week

A few dozen kilometers from Isigny-le-Buat, another group of breeders decided to raise their voices the same day. In front of the Orne prefecture, in Alençon, members of the Peasant Confederation also denounce their low remuneration. “We barely pay ourselves a minimum wage for 70 hours of work per week”, explains Lucie Clouard, organic dairy farmer. Same thing for Léo Lechevalier, who raises around sixty cows and whose entire production is collected by Biolait, a company independent of the large manufacturers and distributors in the sector.

For young farmers involved in small certified organic farms, the purchase price is very slightly higher than that offered to their colleagues in conventional agriculture, i.e. 480 euros for 1,000 liters. But this rate is still largely insufficient to cover their costs, which are increasing. Especially since “the consumer is no longer there”recognizes Léo Lechevalier. More than a quarter of their organic production is therefore downgraded to join the conventional circuit.

“Lactalis plays against the farmers”

The common difficulties of all the dairy farmers in the region ended up bringing them together. “We agree with the farmers of other unions on the observation and the anger”, says Lucie Clouard. They also target large manufacturers like Lactalis. “When a group lobbies to remove the origin of milk from its products, it is playing against the farmers”, says Léo Lechevalier. A criticism widely echoed by the breeders gathered in front of the Lactalis factory, who are blocking the arrival of “Polish trucks” filled with ultra-concentrated cream, made in Eastern Europe.

“The State no longer plays its role as arbiter, so the industrialists make the law.”

Lucie Clouard, dairy farmer

at franceinfo

In the midst of an agricultural crisis, everyone is demanding stronger action from the State to regulate prices and margins. But the other demands of the Confédération paysanne are clearly distinguishable from those of the FNSEA and the Young Farmers. “We don’t just want to resolve the symptoms of this crisis, we want to treat the pathology”affirms Léo Lechevalier, who attacks, without naming it, the FNSEA and its lobbying for ever more agriculture “liberal”. “There are not too many environmental standards”adds Lucie Clouard, as a response to the tarpaulins labeled “Stop standards” visible on many tractors of other unions.

But whether in front of the majestic gates of the Orne prefecture or the automatic barriers of the Lactalis factory in La Manche, all the dairy farmers of Normandy left their farms to express their anger, at the same time and against the same industrial. “They are too big, we lost controlsays a breeder. We have to take back power.”