Herds of cows at the service of wetlands: in the Somme, 78 farmers are involved in the Wetland Agriculture Maintenance Program (PMAZH) initiated in 2012 on the Picardy Maritime Plain and in 2015 on the Middle Valley of the Somme. On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, this February 2, France Bleu Picardie is interested in one of these farmers, Jean-Louis Bouthors, based in Daours.
Raising awareness during the milk crisis
Jean-Louis Bouthors has been part of the PMAZH program for three years. This dairy cow farmer was hit hard by the milk crisis in 2016, and decided to change his practices following this bad patch. “We had to rethink a lot of levershe explains in the middle of his exploitation. Questioning practices that we thought had been acquired, going back to more extensive breeding, what we were doing before.”
– Celine Austin
Jean-Louis Bouthors is accompanied by the Chamber of Agriculture of the Somme, but also by the Conservatory of natural spaces of Hauts-de-France: “it’s a constant dialogue on what we do at the operational level. You have to be able to hear criticism or remarks, which may not be easy for everyone”he smiles.
Half of its meadows are now located in wetlands, for some through the municipality of Daours. By committing to the program, Jean-Louis Bouthors sees himself “halfway between intensive agriculture and organic”. Prohibit fertilizer in wetlands, fewer cows to graze per hectare in these environments : you have to deal with certain constraints, but Jean-Louis Bouthors also receives aid (known as “agri-environmental measures”) to compensate. He can also promote his milk to a dairy group.
Breeding helps keep habitats open
From the operator’s point of view, the preservation of wetlands is essential: “we have grass all year round compared to other areas of the basin. Simply, the calendar is quite random each year. And then in terms of animal welfare, we are talking about areas that are often a little wooded, very pleasant for the heifers.”
A winning bet also according to the Hauts-de-France Conservatory of Natural Spaces, represented by its project manager Gaëtan Rivière: “in these wetlands, there are remarkable natural species such as the bloody locust or the wild orchid. If we remove livestock, the area will be reforested and this to the detriment of these species which seek open environments.” Finally, from the point of view of the municipality of Daours, keeping the environment open through breeding allows a inexpensive maintenance of the wetland.
The only concern on the horizon: the current discussions around the new budget of the Common Agricultural Policy, in Brussels. First drafts announce reductions in aid for agri-environmental measuresimportant for the operation of farms in wetlands.02