The forage systems of north-western Europe : milk produced on grazed grass

Ireland, south-western England, and Brittany are three dairy producing regions of north-western Europe with some similar characteristics, such as the oceanic climate. It is of interest to analyse the history of their herbage systems for the last 15 years, so as to back up prospective views. Grazed grass remains a mainstay of the forage systems of Ireland, Brittany and south-western England, even though this basic feed contributes in varying degrees to the annual diets of the cows : from a few weeks' grazing (as sole feed) in most Breton herds up to 910 months in the British Isles. The observed changes (in the production structures, the processing industries, the dairy policies) mirror the strengths and the weaknesses of each of the three regions, and these reacted in contrasted ways to the changing context : intensive systems based on grass in England and in Ireland, but with low production costs and (in Ireland) milk of poor quality; in Brittany, diversified systems (according to the proportion of maize in the diet), with a better quality milk able to fetch higher prices. The farmers will still have to adapt to the incoming changes (end of quotas, environmental or land pressures, etc.).