The island has around 60 farmers who produce about 18.2 million liters of milk with an average price of 608€/1000L. The average farm produces 222,000 liters with 39,8 cows, mainly Holstein. A quarter of the breeders own 46% of the production.
However, the island is not autonomous. It imports 80% of its needs in milk powder form. Reversing the trade milk balance on the island is a major challenge for these farmers. Indeed, the upgrading cost, combined with health problems, weakens herds’ cash flow and slow down this development. A cattle health plan is now implemented to improve the situation.
Encouraging the new dairy farmers’ installation, maintaining and/or developing and modernising existing farms are other areas of work for Sicalait’s representatives.
For example, the local cooperative provides its members with the required sexed  doses for the dairy herd development.
Mickaël Beauchêne met Agriculture Chamber’s inseminators to share its experience in the renewal strategy. After the technical and economic interest evaluation of the sexed semen/ genotyping in a Reunionese context, inseminators will be able to provide their advice and offer this new service to dairy farmers.
Two herds visits at Mrs. And Mr Laurent Boyer and Mr. Ludovic Deurveilher, allowed Mickaël to measure the breeders technicality, but also the quality of the dairy cows from the EVOLUTION XY selection program. Moreover, the Autonomous and Volum profiles are the Reunion Island breeders preferred segments.
More than 10,000 km away from our headquarters, the EVOLUTION cooperative products and services are available to farmers to ensure their economic sustainability.