While in attendance at the Sommet de l’Élevage agricultural show which took place in France earlier this month, Agriland met a French-based machinery importer who is sourcing slurry systems built in Co. Armagh.

Luc Jeannerot is the boss of the French machinery importer Agro Jeannerot which is based near Switzerland in a region known as Franche-Comté.

He explained he first saw the slurry-systems which are built in Co. Armagh at the National Ploughing Championships and saw an opportunity for the machinery in the French market.

Speaking to Agriland, Luc said: “I buy SlurryKat equipment and sell it to French dealers. We then go out to the farm to set up the machines along with the farmer.”

He explained that the umbilical slurry-spreading system in France was “not that popular” but noted that biogas companies in France have growing volumes of slurry to spread and said “the umbilical system is the best way to increase output”.

“I first discovered SlurryKat at the National Ploughing Championships in Ireland. I said ‘this is something we need to introduce in France’.”

He said that most slurry is spread by tankers in France due to fields being “dispersed” but believes that with growing farm sizes and expanding biogas companies, the umbilical systems will be more common in the future.

Also at the stand was the SlurryKat European sales manager, Niall O’Neill who said the product is gaining traction in the French market now because of “forward vision”.

He explained that from 2025 onwards, the spreading of slurry with splash-plates will be phased out in France and the future of the slurry-system market in France will be for low emission slurry spreading (LESS).

Luc said the umbilical LESS systems can handle “big volumes of slurry” with trucks bringing slurry to the field and an umbilical system spreading in the field.

Niall said that machinery cooperatives known as CUMAs have a strong influence and that the company has been working to raise awareness of its range in these cooperatives.

SlurryKat is based outside Portadown in Co. Armagh and Luc said that machinery produced on the island of Ireland is associated with being “heavy duty” in the French market due to the tough conditions in Ireland.

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As part of the farm-tours section of the Sommet de l’Élevage livestock show which took place in France earlier this month, Agriland travelled to a dairy farm that is milking 250 Alpine goats, located to the north of Clermont Ferrand.

The farm is owned by Carole Neyrial who is the sole employee of the 40ha enterprise. The goat’s milk is sold for cheese processing.

The current milk price is 90c/L (78p/L) but milk prices generally vary from €0.80-1.00/L (70p/L-87p/L).

The price paid depends on both markets and milk constituents. Milk is stored in a cooler tank and is collected by the processor every second day.

Carole explained that prices tend to be higher during the winter months which is why she has selected this system.

Goats are milk recorded and the average production is 860L/goat milking from September to June. Some of the top-performing goats are producing in excess of 1,000L/year.

The average fat content of the milk produced on the farm is 4.17% and the average protein content is 3.54%.

Goats are fed grass and clover silage as well as lucerne hay and meadow hay. The concentrate ration includes ingredients such as maize, bran, soya pulp, sainfoin and extruded linseed.

Goats kid from September onwards and milking continues until June with goats dried-off for July and August.

Breeding generally commences in April and every year, 50 of the top-performing goats are selected for breeding with artificial insemination (AI) and the remainder are served naturally with the use of 10 Alpine bucks.

Goats kid at 12 months-of-age and enter the milking herd then. When giving birth, goats can produce anywhere from 2-5 kids generally.

The AI-bred female kids are used as replacements. The AI-bred male kids are used for breeding also and the remainder of the kids are sold for either meat production or to other dairy herds for replacements.

Goats are seasonal breeders and naturally come into season when the daylight hours become shorter. Because of this, the breeding herd is kept in a shed where the lighting is controlled.

The shed used is a converted pig shed with open plan pens and a straw-bedded floor. The milking parlour is located to the rear of the shed.

Goats are milked twice-a-day and the milking parlour is a 24-24 rapid exit BouMatic goat-milking parlour with automatic cluster removers (ACRs).

Goats enter the parlour from the side and receive concentrate feed which is delivered through an auger system.

Once milking is complete, the front of the parlour lifts up and the goats can then exit.

There is no shortage of machinery on the farm (see images below).

The farm is located 250m above sea level and has a sandy-loam soil type. The farm generally receives an annual rainfall of 650mm.

Land in the region trades at €4,000/ha (£3,5000/ha) approximately.

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Last year’s event saw a significant Irish attendance with representatives from Irish Hereford Prime, the Irish Charolais Cattle Society, the Irish Hereford Breed Society, and many other Irish farmers with a keen interest in livestock.

This year’s event will see over 2,000 head of livestock on display with a total of 1,500 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors expected to attend over the four days.

The 2023 event will see both the Limousin and Brown Swiss breeds host their national championships and the mixed Montbelliarde breed will host its inter-regional competition.

Limousins at Sommet

This year marks the fourth time the Limousin breed in France will use the event to host its national championships.

Divided into four half-days, the event is described by the organisers as “the world’s largest gathering of the Limousin breed” with over 140 Limousin breeders from across France represented at the show.

Over 400 Limousin cattle from the best French Limousin genetics will compete in the event.

An auction sale of elite breeding stock will round off activities on Thursday, October 5.

Brown swiss

The Brown Swiss breed will host its national championships at the event for the second-ever time.

Brown Swiss farmers from across France will be present and over 150 Brown Swiss cattle will be competing in the championships.

The emphasis for breeders will be on welcoming Brown Swiss enthusiasts from other countries and developing contacts for potential exports.

The event has a significant dairy-breed presence with over 530 dairy cattle from a range of breeds set to be on show at the thee-day event.

Sustainability in livestock production is the theme for the 2023 event.

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The event attracts around 1,500 exhibitors and with the return of in-person events across Europe, organisers are expecting up to 100,000 visitors to attend the event which is recognised by many as one of the biggest livestock shows in the world.

Organisers say the show event has built a solid reputation for the quality of the animals on show, selected for their high genetic value, including beef and dairy cattle, sheep and horses.

In total, more than 70 breeds can be found at the Sommet in judging or on show, described as the finest in French livestock genetics.

Breed championships

Every year, one of the main beef cattle breeds organises its national championships at the Sommet.

This year, it is the turn of the Charolais breed that will be under the spotlight in the Zenith d’Auvergne ring with 400 of the breed’s best cattle in judging over the four days of the show.

Sommet also acts as a showcase offering a comprehensive product and service offer for every sector of livestock production and farming, and is recognised as an international business forum, with over 100,000 sales transactions on average signed each year during the show.

The four-day event will also host 70 conferences and symposiums covering the hot topics in agriculture and the latest farming news.

The focus of this year’s event will be farm transfer by the older generation and their take-over by new entrants, two major challenges for the renewal of generations and the future of French agriculture.

Jacques Chazalet, president of the show, said: “Seven months after the last show, the satisfaction and feeling are the same as ever. The Sommet is now recognised as the not-to-be-missed annual farm show

“A record number of exhibitors and visitors are expected this year, mainly due to the new four-day format, which allows us to accommodate more people with this additional day.

“And despite the tough context of the last few months, I believe that a crisis does not bring only bad news. A new economic cycle is beginning, more focused on our territory, because France has many advantages to offer in terms of agriculture and breeding,” he added.

Some of the key events at this year’s show are:

• Charolais breed National Championship;
• Simmental breed European Championship;
• Hereford breed European conference;
• Mongolia, country guest of honour;
• International Livestock evening;
• Sommet d’Or innovation competition rewarding the best technical innovations in agriculture.

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"The new exhibition hall will provide additional show space and allow the other interior buildings to be less dense.

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“We have a few surprises for this year,” directors told at a digital press preview event.

Among the surprises are a second new 10,000m² permanent exhibition hall, a new digital element to the show, and an extra fourth day at the showgrounds in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

The new hall will include two conference rooms with a programme of speakers. Each livestock category will also have a bigger pavilion, allowing more space for attendees.

The 2021 show is currently scheduled for October 5-8 when it’s hoped many of Europe’s vaccination programmes will be nearing completion.

However, directors assured that should the show have to be cancelled once again because of Covid, all trade exhibitors will be fully reimbursed.

Fabrice Berthon, director-general of Sommet, said: “We have grown every year in terms of the number of exhibitors and visitors. 1992 was the first year the show was run at Cournon where we had 200 exhibitors and 11,000 visitors.

“In 2004, Sommet was run from the Grande Halle d’Auvergne show site, and there we had 893 exhibitors and almost 64,000 visitors.

From 2004, we have continually grown both our visitor numbers and exhibitor numbers and that is why we feel we are able to become a four-day event because it merits it.

“There are too many visitors for us to be able to concentrate those visitors over three days.

“The extra day will allow us to break through the 100,000 visitor ceiling. For visitors who have been to the show before, you will remember that we are around the 93,000-94,000 visitors.”

Berthon said spreading visitors over an extra day would also make a “more enjoyable show experience”.

He added that organisers were also looking at ways to extend the length of time visitors spend at the show, allowing exhibitors to increase their contacts with farmers.

“With easier routes access to the show, visitors will have more time to spend at the show and, therefore, at each stand. This will allow exhibitors to offer a better welcome for the visitors on their stand,” he said.

Work has also gone on behind the scenes to find ways to enrich the show programme by welcoming more breeds and adding new events, such as an exhibitors’ evening.

Showcasing a sustainable industry

Directors explained they wanted the 2021 event to showcase sustainable efficiency of French and European livestock production.

Dairy animals, energy production, off-ground farming, and farm building construction will be grouped together in one. Also, in the same building will be on-farm processing.

“That’s a sector we are looking to develop. We believe that they are important future prospects for agriculture and that is why we are putting emphasis on these two sectors – energy production and on-farm processing,” Jean-François Blanc, Sommet director, said.

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Organisers had hoped the event would be one of the few agricultural shows to proceed in Europe this year.

The show had been granted an exemption to France’s Covid rules banning events of more than 5,000 people. However, this has now been revoked.

A spokesman said: “The local authorities of the Puy-de-Dôme department has informed the organisers of the Sommet de l’Elevage that in light of the worsening public health conditions linked to the Covid-19 epidemic in France, they can no longer agree to the derogation that would have allowed the show’s organisers to disrespect the maximum limit of 5,000 visitors/day present on an exhibition (as announced by the Prime Minister on the August 11).

“The organisers are, as a result, obliged to cancel the 29th edition of the Sommet de l’Elevage that was due to be held on October 7, 8 and 9, 2020.

Unable to welcome the 30,000 visitors a day that underpin the show’s success, it is with the greatest regret that they are obliged to take this important decision.

“The show’s organisers would like to particularly thank all exhibitors, who, like the organisers themselves, had believed until today’s announcement that the Sommet de l’Elevage had its place in the government’s desire to relaunch the French economy.

“The Sommet would also like to thank its partners and visitors for their understanding and support at this time of solidarity and individual responsibility.”

2021

Work is already underway for a special edition of the Sommet for 2021 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Sommet.

The 2020 event will be open to visitors over four days (October 5-8, 2021) and will include the Aubrac breed National Championships, grand opening of a new 10,000 m² permanent hall and new, improved outdoor exhibition area.

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The show will open its doors on October 7 and will run until October 9. It will be based in Clermont-Ferrand.

According to the organisers of the event, a decree was passed by the French government allowing exhibition centres to host events (fairs and exhibitions) from September 1, without limiting the number of visitors.

They also said that the French state services have approved a sanitary plan, which was drawn up jointly with the organisers of Sommet de l’Elevage.

This plan includes commitments in terms of the disinfection of spaces, the distribution of hand sanitizer and the wearing of face masks while attending the show.

A spokesperson for the show explained:

To date, we have reached more than 90% of last year’s commercial volume. This includes 1,380 exhibitors on 870 stands – across an area totalling 78,733m².

“Regarding visitors, a survey was carried out in collaboration with the Reussir press group. It told us that more than 75% of visitors from last year intend to come to the show,” the spokesperson added.

Sommet de l’Elevage attendance

In 2019 Sommet de l’Elevage reportedly attracted nearly 100,000 visitors, with 5,000 of those being international visitors from 90 countries.

International numbers attending the show are expected to be significantly down this year, due to global travel restrictions.

Fabrice Berthon, the show’s director, said:

“Although some livestock sectors have been badly hit by the pandemic – notably that of the cheese-making sector – this year’s forage harvest, following two years of drought and fodder deficits, is off to a flying start.

“This leads us to believe that the farm economy and the trade environment in general will be far more promising…come the autumn.”

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In a statement on the matter in light of Covid-19, organisers of the livestock show confirmed:

“Given the latest French government announcements, we can confirm that the Sommet de l’Elevage, Europe’s leading livestock show, will be open for business, October 7, 8 and 9, in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

While continuing to monitor the situation, we note the recent progress in the fight to overcome the Covid-19 epidemic in France. As a result of which, the Sommet de l’Elevage will be held on its scheduled dates.

The organisers stressed that they are currently “working hard and hand in hand” with the local and national authorities on the measures that will need to be put in place “to guarantee the health and safety of all our participants”.

“Though these conditions are not final at this point in time, we will, as soon as possible, be informing all our exhibitors and visitors.

“The Sommet will be one of the very few farm shows to be held in Europe this year.

“And this explains why, since the end of the lockdown period, we are taking, every day, more and more stand bookings from new exhibitors,” the Sommet organisers concluded.

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