In parallel to the requirement for compliance with our Charter of Best Farming Practices, we assist volunteer producers in reducing their environmental footprint, enhancing their economic and social performance and improving their farm yields. We offer them a comprehensive diagnosis performed by independent experts and covering 10 themes. Focuses for improvement are identified and action plans proposed: producers are free to choose which ones they wish to implement. About 1,200 farms are committed to our approach of Sustainable Milk Production.

1O KEY POINTS DIAGNOSED

QUALITÉ DE L EAU

CONSOMMATION D ÉNERGIE

SANTÉ DU SOL

SUSTAINABLE MILK PRODUCTION: A SHARED APPROACH

ENTREPRENEURS TOGETHER

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

A sustainable farm needs financial independence to be able to adapt. It must limit its dependency on bank loans and on short-term or long-term subsidies.

Management and piloting are important skills to be developed for a sustainable enterprise.

MANAGEMENT

Generous fertility ensures sustainable production of fodder. The soil needs to be covered and underpinned by roots so as to avoid erosion and drought and encourage natural mineralization.

To produce quality milk, a happy cow needs to be well fed, well looked after and respected in its natural behavior.

ANIMAL WELLBEING

Milk production generates greenhouse gases linked to the herd s digestion and effluents and to the fertilizers, fodders and energies used. In return, it stores carbon in fodder crops and pasture.

Working conditions must be satisfactory and ensure the safety of all persons working on the farm.

THE PRODUCER S QUALITY OF LIFE

PROFITABILITY

A farm must be profitable to be sustainable. Six detailed indicators are measured.

The way the herd is fed largely conditions the proper functioning of the farm: its production costs, fodder system and level of self- sufficiency.

FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR THE HERD

CARBON FOOTSTEP

Water is indispensable for dairy cows, which consume large quantities, and for pasture. It must be managed so as to preserve both its quantity and quality.

Vegetable and animal biodiversity is a precondition for the perennial renewal of agricultural systems. The richer a region s biodiversity, the more resistant and resilient its farming systems will be.

SOIL FERTILITY

BIODIVERSITY

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

2016 ANNUAL REPORT 37