Dairy Cooperatives: What Factors Contribute to Maintaining Mountain Dairy Farming?

Context and issues Dairy cooperatives are essential to the milk industry in France, collecting over 50% of the milk produced (Coop de France, 2010). Milk quotas have regulated the supply in Europe since 1984 but are to be abolished in 2015. This will lead to widespread competition between European milk producers (Dervillé et al., 2012). The expected effect is a drop in milk prices and more price fluctuations. The future of the least productive dairy farms or those with higher production costs..