Dairy Production in Wallonia : Problems and Perspectives

Milk and on-farm dairy products represent an important share of the final value of agricultural production in Wallonia. This sector was largely transformed after the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy, the implementation of milk quotas in 1984 and their
suppression in 2015. Based on official statistical data, on a literature review about the possible futures of the Walloon dairy sector, on an exploratory workshop with regional stakeholders and on an on-line survey among representatives of the dairy sector, the research aims to identify the problems of the dairy sector and the possible solutions for the future. Being successful during several decades, the sector encountered more difficulties later on. Environmental problems appeared and the number of dairy farmers and of dairy cows sharply declined, the prices – and so the income – became unstable, especially after the liberalization of the CAP. The capacities of the dairy industry significantly increased and were oriented to the world market, while the consumption patterns largely changed. In order to overcome its difficulties, the dairy sector will have to meet new challenges: emerging consumption patterns, like vegetarianism, human health concerns, new societal expectations about the environment, animal welfare, climate change, biodiversity, landscape preservation, cultural heritage, the numeric revolution and precision agriculture…In the future, the Walloon dairy production will have to be based more significantly on grassland and less on concentrates and imported feedstuffs, with diversified cattle races, larger quantities of milk processed and sold on-farm, more quality-specific (including organic) products, and the organization of production and marketing cooperatives.