Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande

The wholesale deregulation of EU milk pricing markets set in motion by the 2003 CAP reforms has brought with it an uncertain future for the dairy sector. Tougher competition in and between highland and lowland regions raises fears of an increase in the number of French mountain dairy farms going out...

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Main Author: Hélène Rapey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut de Géographie Alpine 2016-07-01
Series:Revue de Géographie Alpine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/rga/3309
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author Hélène Rapey
author_facet Hélène Rapey
author_sort Hélène Rapey
collection DOAJ
description The wholesale deregulation of EU milk pricing markets set in motion by the 2003 CAP reforms has brought with it an uncertain future for the dairy sector. Tougher competition in and between highland and lowland regions raises fears of an increase in the number of French mountain dairy farms going out of production. Dairy farms’ conversion from milk to meat has been gathering pace since the 2008 dairy market crisis, yet there has been little attempt to study the concomitant changes in post-conversion farm structure and land-use practices. Here we address this gap through surveys of newly converted farms in the Massif Central. Our results show that milk-to-meat conversions are currently occurring in all kinds of trajectories (extend, hold or wind-down). Post-conversion farms show a greater reliance on grassland as a diet resource and improved forage self-sufficiency without making wholesale changes to their legacy forage systems. Farmer-cited perceptions of the changes that accompany conversion revolve around better quality of work and quality of life. The study finds that the trajectory of milk-to-meat conversion takes many forms and occurs in different territories. Taken together, the evidence advocates for greater territory-level (milk collection region) outreach and extension support to these conversions that are not just limited to less dynamic dairy-area farms ‘losing ground’.
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spelling doaj-art-95c6b899b9f54d738c92d287e8afb9102025-01-10T15:55:25ZengInstitut de Géographie AlpineRevue de Géographie Alpine0035-11211760-74262016-07-01104410.4000/rga.3309Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viandeHélène RapeyThe wholesale deregulation of EU milk pricing markets set in motion by the 2003 CAP reforms has brought with it an uncertain future for the dairy sector. Tougher competition in and between highland and lowland regions raises fears of an increase in the number of French mountain dairy farms going out of production. Dairy farms’ conversion from milk to meat has been gathering pace since the 2008 dairy market crisis, yet there has been little attempt to study the concomitant changes in post-conversion farm structure and land-use practices. Here we address this gap through surveys of newly converted farms in the Massif Central. Our results show that milk-to-meat conversions are currently occurring in all kinds of trajectories (extend, hold or wind-down). Post-conversion farms show a greater reliance on grassland as a diet resource and improved forage self-sufficiency without making wholesale changes to their legacy forage systems. Farmer-cited perceptions of the changes that accompany conversion revolve around better quality of work and quality of life. The study finds that the trajectory of milk-to-meat conversion takes many forms and occurs in different territories. Taken together, the evidence advocates for greater territory-level (milk collection region) outreach and extension support to these conversions that are not just limited to less dynamic dairy-area farms ‘losing ground’.https://journals.openedition.org/rga/3309mountainsmilklivestockquotasmeat
spellingShingle Hélène Rapey
Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
Revue de Géographie Alpine
mountains
milk
livestock
quotas
meat
title Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
title_full Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
title_fullStr Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
title_full_unstemmed Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
title_short Les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d’élevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
title_sort les multiples formes actuelles de la conversion d elevages laitiers de montagne vers la production de viande
topic mountains
milk
livestock
quotas
meat
url https://journals.openedition.org/rga/3309
work_keys_str_mv AT helenerapey lesmultiplesformesactuellesdelaconversiondelevageslaitiersdemontagneverslaproductiondeviande