Diversité des systèmes laitiers en France et en Europe. Les atouts des zones défavorisées pour les produits de qualité

Diversity of dairy systems in France and in Europe. The assets of disadvantaged regions for quality products

In spite of the development of industrialized products, a renewed interest is perceived for the local produce, farm-produced or organic. Close-up on the high-quality dairy produce in France, with its characteristics, localization... and finally one notices that comparable situations exist in other European regions, raising similar problems.
The French dairy systems, comprising cattle, sheep, and goats, are presented together with their transformation into cheese and the corresponding processes leading to quality produce. The latter are to be found mainly in disadvantaged areas, where stock-rearing thus plays a major economical, environmental and territorial role, often without any alternative. The geographical distribution in Europe shows that the upland regions, the Mediterranean regions, and the grasslands represent most of the areas with quality dairy produces, almost one half of the European agricultural land, and almost two thirds of farms with herbivorous animals. The conditions for the development of these quality products are discussed. The problem is how to maintain this heritage of traditional know-how, which should have priority in the support by agricultural and rural development policies.