European milk farmers are furious and they let their anger be known, they are now throwing away millions of litres of milk. They can now longer make a living. Others have started distributing free milk with the intention of continuing  the initiative (when the strike is called off) by bringing consumers and producers closer to each other. In France, for instance,  there is already a number of producer associations which sell directly to the end consumers, without using the large supermarket stores or other business agents. A new  idea is about to emerge in Europe:
 

“Why should dairy farmers not do the same?”

This would be a way to do without the large supermarket chains, which impose their price on farmers,  at a level which no longer enables them to make a living.

European dairy farmers are now demanding the reinstatement of quota, in order to maintain prices at a fair level. They should be reintroduced and upheld beyond the year 2014 (when they were to have been abolished in accordance with a programme under  way since years). Obviously in this case we stand with the European farmers. Most to be feared is a return to the previous, totally unjustifiable situation, in which it was possible to buy milk powder at ridiculously low prices all over West Africa.  200 CFA francs  (€  O.3) were sufficient to buy enough milk powder to make one   litre of formula milk. At the same time, local fresh milk was sold to processing plants at 300 CFA francs/litre.

However, how can one pretend to fight climate change by refusing quotas? To whom does the term “comparative advantage” refer? Does it really make sense that at company based in the Netherlands can buy milk in France, process it into powder (where energy accounts for a large part of the cost) and export it to West Africa? There the powder is processed, by the same company or another, bottled and exported to Burkina.

It is to be hoped that  the Copenhagen summit will put a brake on such practices.  Food from sustainable production nearby requires less energy and is not dependent upon imports of animal feed. It should be given support, through new regulations. Let us consume what we produce and let us produce what we consume. To buy fresh milk from a local producer, travelling by bike, is to help fight climate change and save our planet.

You had never heard of our “lait bicyclette” (milk on wheels)? It is produced by the members of the National Union of mini-dairies of Burkina, processing fresh milk collected in the neighbourhood. They deliver the fresh milk by bike.  Once it has been processed into pasteurised milk, dégué (yoghurt-cereal mix) or gapal, the dairy women will in turn go selling by bike. This milk is genuinely healthy for the environment and for the consumer and also very g   ood.
 
Once you have tasted it, you will stay with it.

Koudougou September 30, 2009
Maurice Oudet
Director, SEDELAN