October 12, 2009
France's dairy sector lacking of new blood
The number of dairy farmers in France will continue to decrease as young people are not actively encouraged to enter the business, according to the French Institute (Institut de l'Elevage) for Livestock.
Until now, France has been able to retain a large amount of its dairy farmers by a policy of settlement and a restricted production, economy expert Christophe Perrot said.
But by 2015, 46 percent of France's dairy farmers will be older than 50 years old, said experts.
There has been a sharp decline in the number of dairy farms and a lack of farm managers, said Perrot.
In 2014, the number of dairy farmers is expected to reach 62,000, a decline of 26,000 from 2007.
To counter this development, diversification of young farmer education needs to be implemented, and farm settlement needs to be encouraged and supported, according to the experts.
