NEOLAC was born out of a consortium between Biodevas Laboratoires, a specialist in the formulation and manufacture of 100% natural phytogenic solutions (plant extracts) for agriculture, INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, and SODIAAL, France's leading dairy cooperative, and supported by BPI and the Pays de la Loire, Brittany, and Rennes Métropole regions.
Tackling the three main diseases affecting dairy cows
This is an ambitious research and development program aimed at reducing the economic, health, and environmental impact of the main diseases affecting dairy farming: mastitis during lactation, mastitis during dry periods, and management of the peripartum period. These are the most chemical-intensive diseases, and there are not enough scientifically validated alternatives to treat them.
Launched in January 2021 for a period of four years, the project was inaugurated on October 28 with the launch of its first full-scale experimental phase on 100 dairy farms mobilized by SODIAAL.
The first trial of the solution, which aims to improve the immune status of dairy cows and limit the occurrence of mastitis during lactation, began at the INRAE experimental farm near Rennes in early September 2021. It will enable the research center to develop new methodologies and study models. A doctoral student has been recruited by Biodevas Laboratoires monitor this work as part of a CIFRE thesis carried out at INRAE.
This trial is complemented by a large-scale field deployment over 12 months involving 100 volunteer farms mobilized by the SODIAAL cooperative.
A 30 to 50% reduction in chemical inputs
NEOLAC aims to reduce the use of chemical inputs against these three diseases by 30 to 50% through effective solutions that can be applied to all farming systems, regardless of location, breed, production volume, and milking techniques.
It will implement the recommendations of the EcoAntiobio plan and ANSES on the use of plants as alternatives to antibiotics.
A financial gain for dairy farms
The use of such natural and preventive solutions should enable farmers to achieve financial gains regardless of the type of farm (organic, traditional, intensive) with:
- Reduced breeding costs, as the natural solutions developed are less expensive than conventional antibiotic therapy;
- The improvement in milk quality leads to a higher value for the milk.
Overall, this represents a substantial saving for each farm, which is expected.
The competitiveness and sustainability of the French dairy industry as a whole (from farmers to the processing of milk into derivative products) will then be strengthened with specific, 100% French expertise that is environmentally friendly, in line with new consumer expectations, and which will secure farmers' incomes through new points of differentiation in the market.
Certified by Valorial, a competitiveness cluster dedicated to agri-food innovation, the large-scale trial of the NEOLAC project was launched on October 28 in the presence of Christelle Morançais, President of the Pays de la Loire Region. The event took place at the Baratte farm in Mayenne, a model of modernity, both in its production methods and in its consideration of social responsibilities.
