The occupation of the territory by European dairy farms and the intensification of their technical systems ; L'occupation du territoire européen par les exploitations laitières et l'intensification de leurs systèmes techniques

Abstract

The dairy farms play an important role in the occupation of the European agricultural area. The technical systems (production and fodder systems, intensification level of the fodder surfaces) implemented strongly vary between the European production areas. This diversity, which results historically from natural factors (climate, relief, agronomic potential), is also strongly influenced by the population density and the support according to the Common agricultural policy (CAP). This article highlights the contribution of the dairy sector to the occupation of agricultural surfaces in 27 production areas of the European Union. Then, it presents the principal characteristics, structural and economic, of the European dairy farms distributed according to five fodder systems (part of the silage maize in the principal fodder surface) and five classes of intensification (number of herbivorous UGB per hectare of fodder surface). For each production area, a dispersion analysis is led for these two indicators. Lastly, a crossing is operated within the European Union between the fodder systems and the intensification classes. The 632 600 dairy farms have 27% of the European usable agricultural area, 42% of the fodder surfaces and 77% of the silage maize surfaces. If about half of the farms don't have silage maize, this plant represents more than 30% of the fodder surfaces in a fifth of them. In the same way, nearly 16% of the dairy farms are intensive (more than 3 herbivorous UGB per hectare of fodder surface), whereas 30% of them are extensive (less than 1,5 herbivorous UGB per hectare of fodder surface). ; Cet article met en évidence la contribution des exploitations laitières à l'occupation des surfaces agricoles dans 27 bassins de production de l'Union européenne. Il présente, ensuite, les principales caractéristiques, structurelles et économiques, des exploitations laitières européennes réparties selon cinq systèmes fourragers (part des superficies de maïs fourrage dans la surface fourragère principale) et cinq classes ...