Grasslands management changes in dairy farms: case-study of the farmer's practices following the maize silage abandonmen in the "Laguiole" cheese production
Résumé
Faced with changes in the CAP, there is uncertainty as to how dairy systems should evolve. To maintain dairy production in less favoured reions, the value of the milk produced must be increased with the adoption of European PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) quality labels. But the specifications require many changes, particularly for the feeding system, to develop high quality cheese production. Any changes in cheese specifications must be compatible with farmers' strategies within the farmer's scope for action as regards the changes in the forage system. In this paper we study te case of the laguiole cheese. In 2000, the PDO lael specifications were modified with a 4-year delay for total iplementation. The "Laguiole" is a taditional cheese produced from raw cow milk by the local dairy cooperative named"jeune Montagne". the specifications definemainly that Aubrac is the natual prodction area; the milk must be produce with Smmental or Aubrac cows and without maize silge. In 2000, 26 farmers used maize silage in the dairy cow's diets. This work was based on descriptive analysis of farmers practices from twenty farmes interviews and the data analysis about the livestock farming management changes between 2000 and 2004. The farmers could change their forage management to conform to the new specifications in 2004 and to produce better quality grass forages. They could change the use of the grassland (temporary grassland development, earlier date harvesting) to increase changes in the dairy farms could be identified.