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Summary of our market study
The French hay market is valued at 6.62 billion euros.
The hay market in France is part of the wider forage market and is crucial for livestock feed, particularly during periods when grazing was not possible.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has had a negative impact on forage acreage by encouraging field crops to the detriment of forage. Demand for hay is mainly driven by the livestock sector, in particular herbivores such as cattle and sheep.
Weather conditions influence hay production, and rising temperatures have led to drier soils, which have probably had an impact on hay reserves.
Hay production is a multi-stage process, involving cutting, tedding, windrowing and baling.
The market is made up of a variety of players, including producers, traders, transporters, agents, brokers, wholesalers and retailers.
With the diversification of livestock diets, demand for different types of hay has evolved, with prices varying according to factors such as packaging, transport and seasonal conditions, field labor costs and the use of machinery.
European legislation, in particular the CAP, continued to affect the market. Innovations such as the TSG label for hay milk, which certifies high-quality dairy products from animals fed mainly on hay, suggest a potential for market upgrading.
Trends in demand for hay in the French agricultural sector
Hay is an essential component of animal feed, particularly for livestock such as cattle (between 15 and 20 million head) and sheep (around 7.2 million head).
The evolution of livestock production in France is one of the main factors influencing demand for hay. Over time, the composition of the livestock population has changed considerably, with a notable transition from sheep herds to a predominance of cattle. This change in domestic animal populations naturally has an impact on the volume and type of hay required.
The geographical distribution of flocks has also changed. Livestock numbers have fallen around the Paris basin and in the south-west. The surface area of permanent grassland has shrunk by 513,800 hectares in ten years.
According to AGRESTE, hay production amounted to some 602,249,860 quintals on a surface area of 12,256,593 hectares, with an average yield of 49.14 quintals per hectare.
However, since much of the hay produced is used to feed livestock rather than being sold, it is reported that around 20 million tonnes of forage, including hay, are marketed each year.
Severe drought can cause production to fall considerably, and animals to be slaughtered because of low hay reserves. AGRESTE data show that, while France's livestock production sectors are holding up well, the overall increase in domestic demand remains fragile.
The market is increasingly dependent on imports.
The Common Agricultural Policy and the diversification of feedstuffs (such as the increase in corn silage and cereals in livestock diets) are profoundly modifying the market.
Key players in the French hay market
In the verdant, bucolic landscapes of France, a small group of producers and retailers are the key players in the hay market.
Commercial hay producers
- SAS Gilles Baudot is a name synonymous with quality in hay production. x.
- GAEC Le Merinos, a Groupement Agricole d'Exploitation en Commun, embodies the collective effort and collaboration that underpin the success of French agriculture.
Commercial hay traders
- Hay France Company is a major player in the hay trade
- Fourrages Doulière and Fourrages Girerd are two other market players.
Hay trading platforms
- Agriaffaires, Pleinchamp and La Balle Ronde are digital platforms for hay transactions.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Hay market definition
Hay is, according to laroussea dried forage, most often composed of alfalfa or timothy, intended for feeding herbivores. Drying mown grasses enables them to be kept longer, and therefore plays a role in feeding domestic herbivorous animals when grass is scarce in grazing areas (winter, drought, etc.). Its nutritional characteristics distinguish it for example, from straw, the nutrient-poor stalks of grasses separated from the grain during threshing. Its low moisture content (around 15% to 20%) also distinguishes it from ensiled grass, preserved by fermentation with a grass moisture content (around 35 to 45%).
The hay market is therefore a sub-segment of the forage market. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's Statistics and Forecasting Department (AGRESTE), includes production from artificial grassland (sown with fodder legumes and cultivated for a maximum of 3 years), temporary grassland (sown with fodder grasses for less thansown for less than 6 years) and permanent grassland (sown or of natural origin, producing at least 1,500 forage units per hectare for more than 6 years). Temporary and permanent grasslands are intended to be mown, ensiled or grazed.
In France in 2020, the market will be worth 8.04 billion euros.
The hay market is also a sub-segment of the animal nutrition market, 52% of which comes from cereals (source: Businesscoot). It concerns farmed herbivorous animals (requiring human intervention for year-round feeding): ruminants (sheep, cattle, goats and buffalo) and non-ruminants (horses, donkeys, mules).
Other trends in the use of hay are emerging: human cooking, mulching...
1.2 The global hay market
We have no data on the global hay market. It is therefore appropriate to look at the global alfalfa hay market to get an idea of the scale of the hay market.
After a downturn caused by the pandemic in ****, with a *.*% contraction in the sector's sales, the market will return ...
1.3 A shrinking national market in the face of changes in agricultural activity
AGRESTE data for **** show a production of all types of forage and silage of ***,***,*** quintals (***):
Source: ****
The average value of a ton of hay is *** euros in **** (***).
We would need to estimate the rate of self-consumption of hay by producers , since it is primarily used to feed livestock outside the grazing ...
1.4 Hay market trade balance
To understand international trade in hay, UN Comtrade data should be analyzed using the following code:
******** - Hay, alfalfa, clover, sainfoin, forage kale, lupin, vetches and similar forage products (***)
French trade balance for the hay market France, ****-****, in millions of US$ and as a % of sales Source: ****
France is ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 An almost unique demand: the livestock sector
The vast majority of hay is sold to herbivore breeders as animal feed. The hay market is therefore highly dependent on the level of livestock farming in France and the composition of the herd.
Hay is chosen for its nutritional properties and quality.
Horse breeding
Growth in the number of horses France, ...
2.2 Strong cyclical impacts on hay and related markets
Decline in meat consumption
Total meat consumption in France over the last decade has fallen very slightly, with average annual per capita meat consumption (***) down by just *.*% between **** and ****. However, this slight decline has been a structural trend for * decades, with a *.*% drop in **** compared to ****, and a *.*% drop between **** and ...
2.3 Other possible uses for hay.
Hay in the diet of rabbits and pet rodents
A must-have food for rabbits and rodents, hay is tasty, rich in fiber and provides optimum wear for their teeth.
Hay can also be used as mulch, particularly in permaculture
Mulching is a technique that consists in covering the soil around plants ...
3 Market structure
3.1 The main stages in making hay
To produce hay, the grass has to go through, according to equipedia.ifce.frseveral important stages :
mowing the grass to a height of * to * cm ; tedding, which consists in turning the grass over so that it dries evenly; windrowing, to finish drying the hay and gather it together; baling, once the ...
3.2 Market players and French production
Producers: they use merchants to handle the sale and distribution of their hay. However, they may wish to sell their production themselves (***), and use brokers or transporters directly to sell the product.
Merchants : they act as a link between producers and wholesalers, or directly with end customers (***).
Carriers : they are in ...
3.3 Adapting the hay market to short-distance distribution trends
La Coordination Agrobiologique (***) has published a guide dedicated to the exchange of fodder in short circuits in order to reinforce the autonomy of organic farms. Indeed, the reduced use of chemical inputs opens the door to greater vulnerability to the vagaries of weather and disease.establishing a local fodder market provides ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Plural hays
Hay is a forage made from grass that has been mowed and then dried in the open air and sun for several days, to reduce its moisture content from **% to less than **% as quickly as possible, with a view to dry preservation. This forage is thus characterized by a high dry ...
4.2 Different prices for different types of hay
The Round Ball provides information on the characteristics that influence the price of hay:
It depends on the type of hay: the price of natural meadow hay(***). It depends on packaging: hay packaged in small rectangular bales is much more expensive than hay packaged in large round bales, due to the ...
4.3 Organic hay, a new supply trend
Demand for organic hay
The market for organically grown hay does exist in France. given the growing consumer demand for organic products, it's safe to assume that the market is booming. Many dairy farmers are going organic, which increases demand for organic hay, and the rest of the demand comes from ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Major European legislation
The Common Agricultural Policy plays a major role in the agricultural organization of European countries, including France. Created in **** as part of the Treaty of Rome, it set out the operating rules for market organizations as early as ****. The Common Market Organizations, discussed in the first part of this study, were ...
5.2 Hay milk, a way of upgrading hay into cattle feed
The STG (***) label certifies a GMO-free diet, composed of **% grass and hay. This label, according to agriculture.gouv.frhas been available in France since March ****. The total absence of fermented products in livestock feed ensures high quality milk or cheese, for example. In this way, the label promotes the use of ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Gilles Baudot
- Le Merinos GAEC
- Hay France
- Fourrages Girerd
- Dié Ets
- MB Diffusion Agriaffaires
- Pleinchamp
- La Balle Ronde
List of charts presented in this market study
- Alfalfa hay market trends
- Number of equines
- French cattle population in thousands of head
- Goat and sheep livestock trends
- Average annual consumption per inhabitant
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