France, a great dairy producing country

France, a great dairy producing country in Europe

• - 2nd producer of milk in Europe after Germany, with 240 million hectoliters of milk (25% of cow's milk production in Europe).2nd producer of milk in Europe after Germany, with 240 million hectoliters of milk (25% of cow's milk production in Europe).
• - 1st producer of cheese in Europe (more than 1000 types of cheese).
• - 1st producer of butter in Europe.

The dairy industry: significant economic impact

• Dairy industry sales volume of 24 billion euros in 2006 according to the official EAE statistics (by comparison, the sales volume of steelmaking is 18 billion euros, and that of the chemical industry 26 billion euros);
• 6 French dairy groups are among the top 30 dairy groups worldwide;
• a dairy sector with strong export activity: export sales of nearly 4 billion euros;
• 120,000 farms delivery milk to more than 700 processing companies employing 60,000 persons;
• the use of milk in the industry is varied: from consumer products for household use (drinking milk, cheese, butter, cream) to dairy ingredients for the food industry (cheese, butter, butter oil, whey powders…).

Mastery of product quality and safety

Quality and safety have never been more important in French dairy production. Nothing is left to chance. At every step, safety is guarantied. This relies on:

controls carried out by the State;

 

Public authority controls:

Public authorities verify that self-regulatory controls have been regularly carried out, and carry out their own inspections and testing.

The local veterinary services (Directions Départementales des Services Vétérinaires) are in charge of inspecting dairy farms, agro-business industries using products of animal origin, restaurants, and retailers (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries).

The consumer affairs service (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes) protects consumer rights and safety: competition and pricing, conformity, quality and safety of products and services, advertising, labeling, hygiene in retailing (Ministry of the Economy, Finances and Industry).

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the reinforcement of the responsibility of operators (producers, processors, distributors) who have multiplied their [self regulation and testing:blk2:show, who use more and more precise analytical techniques, and who have developed traceability throughout the production chain. This process was implemented in the sector (from the producer to the processor) well before it was mandatory.

 

Self regulation:

Professionals in charge of the sanitary quality of the products subject themselves to self-regulation controls, carried out both internally and by independent outside organizations

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The requirements for the production of dairy products are very strict. All those involved, from producer to processor, each at his level, are ready to offer consumers products that are healthy, safe, and good, and are able to prevent and master risks. The French dairy industry has developed a genuine culture of quality and risk prevention. This corresponds to an investment of 5 to 7% of sales, a total of more than a billion euros yearly.

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