Status and trends of suckler beef production in France and in three European countries

Abstract

European suckling cattle production is mainly developed in the rather disadvantaged grassland areas where few alternatives exist. This is the case in France in the Massif central, but also in Spain where it has increased greatly in the dry mountains and in the United Kingdom in the hills of Scotland. In the context of rising input costs and stagnating producer prices, well-differentiated strategies since 2003/2005 have been highlighted. In France and the United Kingdom, breeders have favored an increase in labor productivity. This has been done with little impact on technical performance but above all by mobilizing more equipment and mechanization. These investments, mainly in France, have often been accompanied by indebtedness. On the contrary, in Spain and Ireland, breeders have modified their production systems less and have been economically efficient, particularly in terms of investment. The support incentive policies are different: suckler cow premiums remain in France and Spain, whereas only the surface premiums exist in the United Kingdom. In the highly varied European area, with very different pedoclimatic conditions, different size structures and different levels of investment, irrespective of the major strategies chosen by the countries, the average net income of breeders remains around 15 k€ per FWU with a reduced differences between countries. These incomes remain lower than those of others agricultural productions.