Dairy husbandry and milk tomorrow; a short prospective analysis

Abstract

The authors first warn about the difficulty of performing a short prospective analysis on dairy husbandry and the dairy industry where a large number of uncontrolled variables interfere. They recall the main assets of milk, dairy husbandry and the French dairy industry with regard to the world market trend, but also underline the frailties the global and the French dairy industry in particular, will have to address. These main frailties are its relative lack of competitiveness, its deteriorating image, its potential impact on human health and the impact of dairy husbandry on the environment. A description of the present situation is drafted showing that the French dairy industry has re-structured massively and that this trend will continue in the years to come, along with a significant mutation of the social model of dairying. The main drivers toward a sustainable dairy sector in the future will encompass the improvement of efficacy of dairy cow and herd management, feed security, improving labor conditions, improving the links of dairy farms to their territory, optimizing and accelerating the utilization of technical and organizational innovations, increasing the productions under quality label, monitoring and benchmarking competing sectors with regards to innovation and implementing a better dialogue between milk producers and processors in order to better adapt milk to its further processing and end-consumer needs., In addition, some suggestions are made to implement a real dairy industry strategy in order to guide public policies and enhance innovation through an improved operational partnership with research and development institutes.