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Sustainable and committed agriculture

Eureden is optimistically and enthusiastically committed to imagining an ever more responsible model of agriculture and affordable, high-quality food.
With this in mind, four progress groups are innovating and working on improving approaches, such as reducing the use of phytosanitary products, improving animal welfare, developing local protein crops and increasing the number of women in agriculture.

“Cultivons Autrement”: alternative methods and solutions to protect crops

Launched in February 2020, Cultivons Autrement aims to do everything in its power to limit the use and impact of phytosanitary products while maintaining profitability and margins at a healthy level for farmers and ensuring financial balance for the Eureden co-operative. 

To achieve this, an ambitious action plan is being rolled out until 2025.

How do you maintain or even improve yields while using fewer phytosanitary products? This is the challenge that the 12 groups of farmers (180 members), spread across the whole of Brittany, are trying to meet with the support of four leaders and numerous experts in agronomy, equipment, crops, etc. as part of the Ecophyto plan. These agricultural progress groups are among the many actions implemented following the “Cultivons Autrement” reflection process initiated two years ago.

 Learn more about the approach

7%

of farm land cultivated using alternative solutions in 2021

20

members throughout Brittany are experimenting with alternatives to phytosanitary products

100%

of industrial vegetable farms are committed to environmental certification

“Elevés avec passion”: improving livestock welfare and farmer working conditions

Through its staff and farmers, Eureden is committed to continuing to improve the welfare of livestock while guaranteeing sound, sustainable business models for farmers and the value chains. Raising livestock well to feed people well is our daily mission.

For several years now, we have been in collaboration with Welfarm and CIWF, NGOs dedicated to livestock welfare. Together with Welfarm, we have developed a new model for raising laying hens with a winter garden. This winter garden allows the hens to enjoy the natural light, scratch the ground, peck at straw bales, take “dust baths” and roost. A similar concept has been developed in turkey farms and broiler farms.

These more virtuous farming methods are also more expensive. They can therefore only develop if consumer markets can be found that accept these additional costs. This is one of the missions of the co-operative and the downstream branches of the Eureden Group. Our “raised with passion” approach is co-run by farmers elected by their peers and by employees from the upstream and downstream branches of the co-operative. In parallel to this specific approach, Eureden is also involved in the association LIT Ouesterel (of which it is a founding member), which aims to improve animal health and welfare.

Learn more about the approach

80%

of our members raise their chickens using either organic or free-range approaches or with access to a “winter garden”

55%

of Eureden pig farmers are committed to a quality value chain

200

days of grazing per year, with over 6 hours per day = the average for Eureden dairy farms over 3 years.

“Prod’Ici”: reducing soya imports in favour of local crops

Through the Prod’Ici progress initiative, the Agriculture branch is innovating in the field of locally produced and environmentally friendly proteins.

This progress approach is being undertaken in response to the dependence of national and Breton animal production on the import of protein-rich plant matter (> 15% of digestible crude protein). On a national scale, almost 40% of protein-rich materials for animal consumption are imported. This protein dependence raises four major issues for the co-operative and for Breton livestock farms: 

  • Controlling prices and securing our supplies in a context of growing tension in the plant-based protein market worldwide.
  • Reducing the environmental impact of livestock production. Almost 85% of deforestation in the Amazon is due to soya production.
  • Responding to new consumer expectations for food that is locally produced, guaranteed GMO-free, and has a reduced environmental impact.
  • Meeting the expectations of many members who want to get more value out of their products and improve their food autonomy in order to reduce their operating costs.

To meet this challenge, the Eureden co-operative is working on the competitiveness of protein “Made in France” by mobilising all available levers from the field to the plate:

  • Experiments in plant-based products to improve crop and food competitiveness
  • Training and business intelligence tools for farmers
  • Signing of contracts to secure farmers’ income
  • Industrial and traceability investments to ensure better protein value and traceability.

X2

local protein production by 2030

0

imported deforestation by 2025

40%

French plant proteins for animal feed

“Par’celles”: more women in governance

At a time when agriculture and our value chains are undergoing major changes, the Eureden co-operative firmly believes it is essential that greater consideration be paid to gender diversity within our co-operative. We have created a think tank composed of male and female Eureden farmers so they may collaborate on actions to bring women together and make them want to get involved in the life of their co-operative. This think tank is the Par’celles group.

It is a network to unite initiatives around the representation of women farmers at Eureden, but above all, it is a space for discussion, to listen and better take into account the needs of Eureden’s female farmers.

This diversity enriches our co-operative and offers a wider perspective. Men and women are complementary and must join forces to meet the challenges ahead.

20%

of positions on Eureden’s governance bodies filled by women: our objective for 2025

25%

of farm managers in Brittany are women