Cattle Feeding in France 88% feed autonomy in dairy and meat stock farming What do cows, heifers and calves eat in France? To update knowledge on this subject, the Institut de l’Élevage (the French livestock breeders’ institute) analyzed the farm data monitored in the framework of its activities in partnership with Chambers of Agriculture. Collected from 660 farms specialized in cows’ milk and beef, these data provide a clear picture of cattle rearing and feed practices.
Vitamins and minerals 0.7 % Protein and oilseed crops 0.6 % Grains 5.4 % Other fodder 2.2 %
Silage corn 19.4 %
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Conserved grass 26.3 %
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Average Share of Fodder, Grain and Plant Proteins Eaten in France by Bovines on Dairy and Meat Farms
Grazed grass 38.3 %
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In a 2009 study by the Ministry of the Ecology titled “Relance des légumineuses dans le cadre d’un plan protéine : quels bénéfices environmentaux” (revival of legume crops as part of a protein plan: what environmental benefits), 3 main levers were identified to further reduce the use of soy in bovine feed: incorporate fodder legumes (e.g. clover, alfalfa) into the diets of dairy cows, use more colza cake as a replacement for soy and increase use of protein crops (e.g. peas, faba beans) in beef cattle farms. Since 2010, a protein crop support plan has been rolled out on the national scale to limit potentially-GMO soy cake imports for animal feed.
Other by-products and foods 2.7 %
Soy cake 2.5 %
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Soy Alternatives for Cattle: Levers and Room for Progress
Other cake 1.9 %
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Grass Makes Up Two Thirds of Basic Diets Ruminants are able to digest cellulose thanks to their digestive systems. Approximately 80% of the food eaten by bovines is fodder: mainly in the form of grass (grazing or dried in the form of hay or silage) and corn silage. The proportion of each varies according to the climate and soil of each region. On average, grass and corn silage make up respectively 65% and 19% of the diets of dairy and suckler (meat breeds) herds in France. These two types of fodder are produced almost entirely (98%) onfarm. To balance their rations, animals are given calories in the form of grain grown on-farm in most situations, and plant proteins in the form of oilseed crops and plant cake (soy, sunflower, colza). This portion of the ration is “concentrated feed.” It accounts for 14% of the ration; and an average of 28% of it is produced on-farm. The
There are 224,000 cattle farms in France, with an average of 50 cows per farm.
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rest is purchased, and most is grown in France, except for 2.5% of soy cake, imported mainly from the American continent.
KEY TERMS
While the composition of bovine rations varies considerably according to the type of animal, its age, the season, the region, and soil and weather conditions, average rations allow one to identify the main families of feed distributed and their proportions.
Silage Method of conserving fodder (grass, corn, beet pulp and more rarely sorghum), which is chopped and stored in an air-tight silo. Reactions such as lactic fermentation and acidification (as in the making of sauerkraut) help preserve a large share of the fodder’s nutritional properties.
By-Product Plant remnants left over after agrifood processing (sunflower, colza or soy cake after the seeds have been pressed to extract oil, beet pulp after the sugar has been extracted, bran obtained after grain has been ground into flour, etc.) that can usually only be used as feed for ruminants.
Fodder Plant or a mix of plants, grown mainly for its vegetative parts (leaves, stalks, roots) and destined primarily to feed ruminants.
The full study can be downloaded from the CIV’s and the Institut de l’Élevage’s websites. www.idele.fr www.civ-viande.org
Beef Suckler Herds in France : 80% grassfed
Ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats) graze and eat the grass from 10 million hectares of permanent pasture and rangelands in France. Herds of suckling cows (also called “meat breeds”) are found mainly in these grasslands and meat breeds provide two thirds of the beef produced in France. Herbivores (cows, sheep, goats, horses) are raised throughout France. This stock farming is notably located in the “disadvantaged zones” where grass (pasture and harvested) is the main source of fodder. Indeed, herbivores, and in particular ruminants, are by nature able to digest the grass that grows on non-cultivable land, which they turn into milk and meat. In this way, they use 20% of the country’s grasslands. In France, grass makes up an average of 64% of cattle feed (dairy and suckler herds combined), and an average of 80% of the feed of suckler herds. However, this Suckler Herds of Meat Breeds are Found Mainly in Grassland Areas.
Meat Breeds: 80% Grass, of which 2/3 Grazed 92% Food Autonomy
Protein and oilseed crops 0.4 %
Soy cake 0.8 % Other cake 1.1 % Other by-products and foods 2.0 % Vitamins and minerals 0.4 %
Grains 5.1 % Other fodder 2.3 %
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Silage corn 8.0 % Grazed grass 48.8 %
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Conserved grass 31.1 %
percentage varies from region to region according to soil potential and weather conditions. In grassland regions, it is on the order of 90%. In other regions more favorable to crops, grass may be supplemented or even partially replaced by other fodder such as silage corn, harvested as whole plants and conserved through fermentation. This fodder, distributed as a supplement in variable proportions, ensures the stocks needed to feed herds.
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Beef Consumption in France: the Equivalent of 2 Servings per Week Half of the beef consumed in France comes from dairy herds and half from suckler herds of meat breeds. Most is French in origin: French stock farms provide 75% of French meat, 2/3 of which from suckler herds. For the remainder, 22% comes from the European Union (mainly cuts used to produce ground beef and cuts for grilling from dairy cows). Only 3% of the beef consumed in France is imported from countries outside Europe (South America, mainly). Average weekly per-capita beef consumption among adults age 18 and over is 32 grams per day, or the equivalent of servings per week (Source: CRÉDOC, CCAF 2010 Survey). It has dropped by 15% over the past ten years.
KEY TERMS
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Average Share of Fodder, Grain and Plant Proteins Eaten in France by Bovines on Meat Farms.
grassland areas
Suckler Stock or Herd Proportion of French bovines raised exclusively for meat production. In these stock farms, cows’ milk is consumed directly by the calves, hence the use of the word “suckler.” They may also be referred to as “meat breeds.”
The full study can be downloaded from the CIV’s and the Institut de l’Élevage’s websites. www.idele.fr www.civ-viande.org