will the drop in milk production in France affect prices?

In Vingt-Hanaps (Orne), Alban Courtecuisse, representative of the Young Farmers of Normandy milk section, is already wondering how he will spend the winter. For lack of fodder, he will not be able to meet the needs of all his livestock and will have to part with a few cows. “We will have to sell a percentage of animals to be able to feed the rest of the herd”, he highlights, advancing the figure of fifteen cows from which he will have to part. He estimates that this will affect his milk production by 15%.

Another consequence of the heat, this time on the animals themselves. Philippe Renaudet in Chénevelles (Vienne) notices that his cows, confined to a barn, feed less and therefore produce less. “We lose 220 euros a day just by the heat wave effect”, says the breeder. Will this have an impact on prices? Not right away, because prices are only renegotiated once a year. But the sector requires an exceptional renegotiation. “Distributors will have to agree to cut their margins so that we, breeders, can live”, pleads Alain Billerot, president of the milk section at the FNSEA. In one year, the price of milk has increased by 33% in Europe, but it is in France that it has progressed the least.