Autonomie et traçabilité alimentaire dans les Pays-de-la-Loire : mise en évidence des solutions envisageables par territoire

Self-sufficiency and food traceability in the Pays-de-la-Loire region : solutions that can be contemplated in each territory

The development of self-sufficiency -defined as the proportion of feeds consumed by livestock produced on the farm itself- may reinforce the traceability of food. Self-sufficient feed systems have been put up by dairy cattle farmers in the Pays-de-la-Loire region. In a data base from 80 dairy cattle farms, 4 types of self-sufficient feed balances were identified. Some systems relied heavily on pastures (producing less than 5 000 l per year, and necessitating large areas), some systems had pastures playing a large part, together with variable acreages of silage maize, cereals or high protein crops produced on the farm. When the proportion of maize silage exceeded 2 t DM/LU, feed self-sufficiency was difficult to increase. High-protein crops grown on the farm increased markedly self-sufficiency. The available area was one of the necessary conditions to implement self-sufficient systems. The proportion of farms with an area large enough to support a self-sufficient feed balance gives information on the type of solution that can be contemplated in a given territory. The variable ‘milk per hectare of Useable Farm Area utilizable by herbivorous stock’ is useful.