Press release

Confronted by the successive crises the agricultural sector has been experiencing for several years now, farmers who wish to launch themselves on the path of diversification are becoming more and more numerous. If the idea is a seductive one, putting it into practice is not always easy: the legislation is complex, consumer expectations are constantly evolving and it is necessary to, amongst other things, comply with the demands of the AFSCA. So many aspects which oblige the farmer-converter to wear several hats: those of a producer, breeder, technologist, admimistrator, jurist, trader, visionary, and even that of a philosopher.

750 farmers helped in four years.

Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (University of Liège), the Centre pour l'Agronomie et l'Agro-Industrie de la Province du Hainaut (CARAH), the Ecole Provinciale d'Agronomie et des Sciences de Ciney (ETPA), the Accueil Champêtre en Wallonie and the Saveurs Paysanneshave decided to pool their skills in order to offer a permanent support system to farmers-converters in the Walloon Region.

Set up at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and subsided by the Walloon Region, the objective of the Cellule Qualité Produits Fermiers is to respond to the questions asked by the farmers in terms of hygiene, food safety, dairy industry science and economic systems. This support structure aims at mastering the sanitary quality of their production systems, the diversification of products and the maintenance of an overall high level of quality whilst achieving profitability at the same time.

In four years the Quality Farming Product Unit has provided support to over 750 farmers, in providing structured guidance and aid in three domains:

Support in terms of economics (ensured by the ACW at Gembloux and Saveurs Paysannes at Namur): a feasibility study of the project, product promotion, introducing requests for subsidies, etc, But also aid in terms of selling in smaller distribution networks, in other words the producer selling directly to the consumer, or through local sales centres, often attached to a farm

A technological support structure (ensured by the EPASC at Ciney and the ETPA at Ath) enables farmers to learn how to make milk products, to increase their range or to solve manufacturing problems. These actions in particular contribute to a transmission of traditional know-how concerning regional products. By way of example, a Protected Geographical Indicator has recently been introduced for a typical cheese with strong flavours called the 'boulette', thanks to the collaboration of the Quality Farming Product Unit.

Structured support in terms of hygiene (provided by Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech)for its part concerns the supervision of product microbiological analyses, the setting up of self monitoring and tracability systems, and information on good hygiene and manufacturing  practices. These steps reinforce the farmer-converters in their desire to offer a good quality product, and indirectly that helps to bring about a relationship of trust with the consumer. The Quality Farming Product Unit is at the root of a recent study which testifies to the good bacteriological quality of the butter which comes from Walloon farms.

Meetings and Presentations at the Libramont Fair

The Quality Farming Product Unit will be present at Libramont (stand 39.04) where its actors on the terrain will be able to respond to each and evry question. The Quality Farming Product Unit will also be present on the podium at Walexpo to talk about farm diversification avenues, on Saturday and Sunday at 11.00, as well as on Monday at 16.00.

GEMBLOUX AGRO-BIO TECH (Université de Liège)

Faculté à la pointe du développement durable et de l'éco-innovation, de la parcelle au consommateur, Gembloux Agro Bio Tech se consacre exclusivement aux sciences agronomiques et à l'ingénierie biologique. Elle forme des bioingénieurs grâce à un programme complet en cinq ans. Quatre filières d'étude distinctes permettent aux étudiants de se spécialiser dans des domaines clés des sciences du vivant : sciences et technologies de l'environnement, la gestion des forêts et des espaces naturels, les sciences agronomiques, la chimie et les bioindustries. Intégrée à l'Université de Liège depuis le 1e octobre 2009, Gembloux Agro Bio Tech est une faculté à taille humaine, ouverte sur le monde et dont la qualité de l'enseignement et l'excellence des recherches sont réputées internationalement depuis 150 ans.
http://www.fsagx.ac.be