Farms
The Coopérative Laitière de la Sèvre is a close-knit cooperative, made up of 120 goat and bovine farms. All of our milk is collected closed to our two sites: our butter dairy at Echiré and our cheese factory at Celles-sur-Belle, just on the edge of the Marais Poitevin.
Our region is mostly made up of Jurassic limestone earth, covered by red clay silts, which promotes the growth of certain crops such as alfalfa, contributing to food self-sufficiency for farmers and leading to a high-quality milk.
Our Quality Charter for milk production
Since 1997, the Quality Guidelines for milk production, established by our cooperative members, have provided a structure for the way in which they raise their livestock. This document groups together a series of good practices which represent agricultural expertise that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Our quality guidelines develop to take into account significant and structural elements regarding the following subjects:
- Non-GMO animal feed that is FREE from palm oil
- Animals raised without attachments
- Exercise areas available
- Enrichment provided for the animals
- Promoting soft medicine for animals
- Reduction of carbon footprints on the farms
In addition to its farming expertise, our cooperative establishes and implements milk collection practices which ensure optimal quality for the raw material. The dairy workers collect milk from the farms every 48 hours. Every aspect of the product is meticulously traced and inspected upon arrival in our dairy. Internal and external analyses are conducted to guarantee faultless quality.
Our producers talk to you
Family Exploitation
«We working on our farm as a family since 1960 with today my father and mu brother and me. My brother was the last to settle in 2013, three years after me. We are currently in the process of medernizing our building to improve the comfort of the animals and our wellbeing at work. »
Pierre- Luc V., 27 years old (on the right in the picture), GAEC Préreau (79, Deux-Sèvres)
Animal feed
« All the fodder distributed to our animals is produced on the farm. »
Philippe and François C., GAEC La Figeasse (79, Deux-Sèvres)
Use of alfalfa
«Each year we cultivate 45 hectares of alfalfa which feed of hay to our cows and goats. It’s a legume that grows well in our region with calcareous soils, it a richer food than meadow hay. We promote the production of quality milk and in addition animals love it.»
Laurent B., GAEC La Fontaine (79, Deux-Sèvres)
Sustainable development : solar tracker
« We have had a solar tracker installed on our farm since early 2016. With a surface area of 80 m² and 11 meters high, this system is motorized to allow the panel to follow the sun in order to produce as much energy as possible. The electricity produced in this way is used diretly on the farm and since it’s installation we have been able to meet all of our electricity needs. »
David R., GAEC du Petit Queray (79, Deux-Sèvres)
Pasture
« In fine weather, our cows leave the barn to enjoy young, quality grass. »
Pierre-Luc V., GAEC Préreau (79, Deux-Sèvres)