The French agricultural research firm Agrex Consulting, commissioned by FranceAgriMer, has once again declared the French dairy industry to be the most competitive market leader. As with last year, France ranks as the most competitive dairy country ahead of New Zealand and the Netherlands.
Besides the category of 'most competitive,' France scores significantly lower on the six other performance areas investigated. On metrics such as sustainability, ecological footprint, and macroeconomics, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Denmark generally score considerably higher than France.
FranceAgriMer’s study examines the performance of 13 major dairy countries across seven competitive areas, subdivided into 40 indicators. The three French dairy groups Lactalis, Sodiaal, and Danone are all active in 12 of the 13 countries analyzed.
The geographical scope of the annual French study covers thirteen countries: eight European Union members, namely Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom, as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the United States, and New Zealand.
In 2020, these countries produced nearly 300 billion liters of milk, a 2% increase compared to 2019. This accounts for 42% of the global cow's milk supply. Exports from these thirteen countries totaled 71 billion dollars. The United States remain the world's largest producer of cow's milk, supplying 13.4% of global output, followed by India (12.8% of global production).
In France, milk collection (around 24 billion liters) has stagnated since 2016, as has domestic consumption of dairy products. The debt ratio of French dairy farmers is lower than the European average, thanks to moderate land prices. However, farm operating costs remain high, according to the researchers.
French dairy product exports have progressed less rapidly than those of other major dairy countries and are mainly concentrated with neighboring European countries (60%). The study on "resource sustainability" also points to some weaknesses in France. "Pressure on the environment and society is increasing" and "climate-related incidents are occurring more frequently," the report notes.