Milk may not soon be available on our shelves.
Dairy products fall into three categories: milk (raw, fresh, pasteurized, sterilized, and powdered), cheeses, and yoghurts (white cheeses and fermented milk). Fresh cream and butter are made from milk but are high in fat and low in calcium. So it is not counted in dairy products. These are foods that are recommended for limited consumption.
Annually 67 liters of milk and 24 kg of cheese are consumed in France per capita according to FranceAgriMer, the national institution for agricultural and seafood products.”
It’s not me who says that! This is the latest news from Alsace, the daily newspaper that is frankly not low on alarm.
“Our country is the second European producer of cow’s milk, but in twenty years the number of breeders has halved.
2021 will be a really special year as it has also seen a reduction in dairy resources. Milk collection decreased by 2% compared to 2020, and this decline continued into the first quarter of 2022.
After price inflation linked to the coronavirus epidemic, and then the war in Ukraine, it is the drought that could affect milk production in France. This can actually harm the production of forage for feeding cows. Ten French provinces have already crossed the drought alert threshold in May, with a 70% rainfall deficit. Breeders are concerned that their activity requires large water resources.
The Vice President of the National Federation of Dairy Producers (FNPL) explains: “To make milk, you need fodder. To get fodder, you need water. In general, in the spring the production increases. But with the dry weather we are experiencing this year, this was not the case. We are worried about the future.”
The price of milk should be increased by 20%!
Shepherds’ costs go up while incomes go down. Some can no longer repay their loans. Selling their dairy farm becomes their only chance of survival. But the product that stops is never replaced. According to Syndilait – the professional organization that brings together the majority of liquid milk manufacturers In France – the price of milk must be increased by about 20% to compensate for increases in electricity, carton, plastic and transportation costs.”
Price locks never work. Start.
why ?
basic.
In the very short term, you can lock in the price for a few weeks. But when inflation controls the cost of production increases. If the price is blocked, production will not quickly return profitable enough and production simply stops.
If you want to fix prices, you have to support the product.
If you support, then you can succeed, as long as your state is solvent and its coffers full enough to pay gallons of milk for all the families in this country.
With our 3000 billion euros we can’t say our coffers are really full.
“Faced with drought, inflation and a reduced number of producers, the risk of milk shortages is very present in France. According to INSEE, inflation will continue to accelerate in the coming months. We risk having to import milk to meet our high demand.”
It is a pity that milk cannot be stored for much longer, because eventually you will have to invest in a cow. In the meantime, the powdered milk stays on well!
Charles Sannat
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Source the latest news from Alsace here