About 400 people participated in the national milk conference held on 29 November in Eposende and organised by the Portuguese dairy farmers' association APROLEP, together with AJADP, the young farmers' association of the District of Porto.

In the opening session, Ms Carla Alves, Regional Director for Agriculture and Fisheries in the North, underlined "the strong resilience and adaptation capabilities of dairy farms" and lauded the efforts made to better manage livestock effluents as well as to install more efficient irrigation systems. She went on to add that it is important to consume local milk and dairy products as they imply a smaller carbon footprint, highlighting that "our nationally-produced milk is good, safe and healthy."

In the panel discussion on "How to promote the use of grass in milk production?", a number of strategies to improve production, harvesting and preservation of pastures were discussed. Grass is a protein-rich food source for cows, and dairy farmers should invest in pastures to reduce their dependence on imported feed, thus contributing to better returns on their farms as well as reducing the carbon footprint associated with the transcontinental transport of the raw materials (soya and others) used in feed.

Dairy farmers also learnt a bit more about how to "Raise cows and produce milk in a sustainable environment". Henrique Trindade and David Fangueiro, researchers from Portuguese universities, presented some solutions to reduce methane emissions from ruminants, through specific additions to livestock diets or a vaccine to reduce the microbial flora in cow intestines, thus reducing the production of these gases. They also provided examples of strategies that can be implemented to mitigate the environmental impact of livestock farming and to capitalise on the potential of livestock by-products (slurry) that can be used as fertilizer for vegetable farming within the idea of a circular economy, by striking a "nutrient balance".

In the panel on "Animal welfare and the image of dairy farming", specialists outlined possible best practices (brushes to allow cows to massage themselves, comfortable beds, etc.) that have been implemented in cowsheds in Portugal to comply with European legislation on animal welfare and to live up to the demanding requirements to receive the Welfare Quality Assessment certification. One of the conclusions was that it is absolutely key to communicate with consumers by, for example, opening the doors of dairy farms to visitors – something that is already being done as part of the Milk is Life project, which allowed 1200 children, in 2019 alone, to visit cowsheds and learn about the realities of milk production.  

In the concluding session, Isabel Carvalhais, MEP from the S&D group in the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture, reiterated the need for farmers to tap into public opinion and while they are already implementing best practices, they have to show that they are willing to do more and better to adapt agriculture to the current societal demands for environmental sustainability.

Summary of APROLEP's press release of November 29, 2019

For over a decade, the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) has been covering up for the organised misappropriation of taxpayer money. Processors and creameries have not always passed on the additional payment for cheese-making (15 centimes/kilogram of milk) to milk producers and have kept it for themselves instead. This bonus was put in place to help the sector and should be paid directly to milk producers.

A study carried out by the journal Recherche Agronomique Suisse* confirms that the FOAG was well aware of this fraudulent behaviour. According to the study, only 60% of these additional payments for cheese-making were actually passed on to milk producers.

This is in spite of the fact that the Federal Act on Agriculture clearly states that this additional payment is meant for producers. As already stated in the judgement by the Administrative Court on 28 February 2017,  "there is no provision in terms of legislation allowing the milk processor to partake in the payment of allocations."

A simple calculation shows the extent of the issue: if we were to assume that a total yearly sum of 300 million francs was paid as additional payment for cheese-making, 120 million francs were not paid correctly per year. The additional payment for cheese-making was introduced in 1999. This means that the total payments not actually paid to producers could amount to more than a billion francs.

On multiple occasions, Uniterre has drawn attention to this illegal practice and to the fact that the ordinance on milk price support was not being upheld. But Uniterre is not the only critical voice: On 12 December 2018, National Council member Fabian Molina raised the following issue: "Additional payment for milk used in cheese-making. Systematic fraud?"

So, what can we do now?

Every milk producer has a right to additional payments for cheese-making. This complaint can be tried before a civil court but, in practice, such litigation takes long and is quite expensive. The contract is illegal if the additional payments are part of the milk price, and a complaint against unjust enrichment could also be raised.

Therefore, we are currently collecting income statements from milk producers and we have launched a campaign to create a legal support fund to take our case to court.

An issue to keep a close eye on! We will get back to you when we have more to report!

* Wirkungsanalyse der Verkäsungszulage auf den Milchmarkt, Listorti G., Tonini A., Agrarforschung Schweiz, 2014

Mathias Stalder, Uniterre

Our newsletter series about Fair Milk projects goes on. This time we introduce FaireFrance, the French Fair Milk brand.

Fair Milk in France

Milk and milk products are an important cornerstone of our diet and an integral ingredient in French cuisine.

The French Fair Milk project currently has over 
500 members. Sixty FaireFrance farmers deliver their milk directly to the dairy in charge of processing and packaging Fair Milk. Members receive a “fairness bonus” for every litre of milk sold. This ensures a farm-gate price of 45 cents per litre. In this way, Fair Milk supports dairy farmers all across France.

Another unique feature of FaireFrance is that all the Board members are dairy farmers themselves. They are the driving force of the project and manage it independently. Decisions are taken collectively at, for example, the annual Members’ Assembly.

The direct link to consumers is also important. Every year, FaireFrance farmers organise thousands of tastings in supermarkets, where they showcase their products and their philosophy. This amounts to about 500,000 interactions between producers and consumers every year, which leads to a steady increase in the number of consumers supporting the project.

FaireFrance currently sells milk packaged in different sizes as well as cream – a key ingredient in many of the classics of traditional French cuisine. We are especially proud of the fact that we started selling organic semi-skimmed milk in 2018 as 10% of our members are organic farmers.

Supporting such initiatives is very important. FaireFrance was founded by humble farmers who wanted to break the cycle of constant crises and take their destiny back into their own hands.

We have done our share of the task by showing that cost-covering prices are, in fact, possible! Now it is up to policy-makers to 
use this information and to keep 
it in mind when taking political decisions in the future.

Further information at www.fairefrance.fr

Jean-Luc Pruvot (FaireFrance) and EMB office