Our CSR approach!
Is there any other job that brings you so close to the land and living creatures than farming? Every day, amongst his herd, he takes care of his animals and of the surrounding nature. Because it is nature who feeds them. And nature who feeds you.
This is why Grand Fermage is committed to its farmers to protect biodiversity. For your well-being and that of future generations.
Biodiversity encompasses all living species that populate the planet. Plants, animals, microorganisms, and more!
It’s simple: it’s life!
And for millennia, all these species have interacted in harmony, and together play an essential role in the development of fauna and flora, in water cycles and the climate.
For all these reasons, it is essential that we protect it.
A rich biodiversity in France
France alone represents:
40%
of European flora,
350,000
species of insects
Dairy farmers – creators of biodiversity!
Some beliefs have a hard time… For example, that agriculture and livestock farming do not go hand in hand with biodiversity.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth! Livestock farming and biodiversity are very much connected.
Why?
Biodiversity is present in every meadow, every hedgerow, every waterway, every orchard and every field, which farmers maintain through their respectful actions and practices. Biodiversity is a real ally to farmers, to help produce better and feed animals better. And therefore feed you better too!
Through their profession, farmers are surrounded by biodiversity every day and play an essential role in its preservation.
At Grand Fermage, our farmers are dedicated!
You can’t imagine all that Grand Fermage breeders do to protect biodiversity!
For example, they regulate the regrowth of grass and flowers by regularly swapping meadow herds and mowing hay. They practise polyculture, plant fallow fields, maintain hedges, plant trees and also set up beehives and nesting boxes!
In fact, at Grand Fermage, we love and support all these concrete initiatives from our farmers because we believe that it is with small daily actions combined, that big changes are made!
Focus on 6 actions our farmers undertake to protect biodiversity!
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At Grand Fermage, cows and meadows go hand in hand.
Just imagine: every square metre of pastured meadows on a dairy farm is home to more than 250 species of flora and fauna. A real breeding ground of biodiversity! By maintaining them, farmers help to preserve the soil and water quality, and also allow animal and plant species to feed and reproduce!
Did you know?
Thanks to their plant diversity, French meadows capture greenhouse gases and store a large amount of carbon in their soils. For Grand Fermage farmers, protecting them is therefore essential as they contribute to the fight against climate change!
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Grand Fermage farmers also have green fingers!
Preserving biodiversity is great, but enriching it is even better!
This is why Grand Fermage farmers work hard every day to create biodiversity zones in their farms by planting trees and maintaining miles of hedgerows. As well as creating natural shelters for animals, this enriches the local ecosystem and allows the development of fauna and flora.
A word from Jean-François
We have dense hedgerows around the farm, which are made up of maple, plum, ash, hazelnut trees and more. We have lots of different species and these are all the species found in the Poitou-Charentes region.
Discover Jean-François, dairy cow breeder in La-Forêt-sur-Sèvre (Deux-Sèvres)
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Promoting polyculture, a truly French talent
Our farmers have many strings to their bows!
As well as livestock farming, they also cultivate their land: corn, oats, rapeseed and more, to feed their cows, of course, but not just for that reason. Because properly diversifying and alternating crops with species whose needs complement one another means less soil fatigue and allows the development of plant and animal biodiversity.
And different floral species mean more varied animal species!
A word from Dominique
Long rotations make it possible to limit inputs. We can use less fertiliser and there are fewer weeds and fewer diseases. We take advantage of the releases from the previous crop to grow the next one.
Discover Dominique, dairy cow breeder in Pipriac (Ille-et-Vilaine)
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Technology at the service of soil biodiversity
Preserving soil biodiversity also requires more natural and thoughtful working methods, such as simplified cultivation techniques like no-till farming.
By using practices such as plant cover or not tilling the land, Grand Fermage farmers limit soil erosion and also encourage the development of microfauna, particularly earthworms. For rich and prosperous land!
Did you know?
You can find up to 3 tones of earthworms in a single hectare of land! According to our calculations, that’s around 300,000 earthworms!
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Beehives for richer biodiversity!
Thanks to their role as pollinators, bees and bumble bees are key actors in terms of floral biodiversity. Without them, there would be no more plant reproduction on the planet…
In order to combat their disappearance and to allow them to reproduce and forage in peace, many of our farmers install beehives on their farms.
And for the foodies among them, this is also a great way of producing honey!
Did you know ?
By gathering and transporting pollen, bees help around 80% of plant species on the planet to reproduce!
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Little by little, our farmers are making nests
There are not always large forests around the farms…
But by installing nesting boxes in isolated trees or on farm building walls, our famers encourage nesting birds and allow numerous species to develop.
A simple but essential action to guarantee a balanced local ecosystem!
Being a farmer means working with living things and feeding people
Is there any other job that brings you closer to the land than that?
Through their profession and their actions, all the Grand Fermage farmers are committed and act on a daily basis to protect biodiversity and play an essential role in its preservation.
To go further ...
Our products are made with 100% French milk!
Our French origins
Discover our dairy cooperative!
A french cooperative
