For over a year now, we've been talking about production chains, distributors, regional planning and all the workings of an organization designed to feed not only our country, but the world as a whole.
However, there is still a shadowy area that our various consultants have not yet explored: that of the interprofessions, which lie at the crossroads of these worlds, and whose role is not simply one of promotion - quite the opposite, in fact.
In this episode of the "Manger, c'est changer le monde" podcast, Henri Bouillot, Managing Director of Soliance Alimentaire, sheds light on these interprofessional bodies, which play a vital role in the agri-food industry.
Our firm is involved at all levels of the supply chain, from farm to fork. We are frequently called upon by cross-sector organizations, commonly known as interprofessions.
Interprofessions are strictly governed by European regulations, within what is known as the Common Market Organization, or CMO. Their main mission is to facilitate communication between players in the same supply chain, thereby promoting best practices and market transparency.
We'll share the lessons we've learned from our work with you. Then, we'll explore how interprofessions can contribute to the competitiveness and dynamism of a sector, while addressing their potential limitations.
The major challenge facing an industry is its competitiveness on a French, European or even global scale . A number of key factors must be taken into account, and these are widely recognized by strategy experts:
These factors play an important role in the dynamism and innovation within a sector. A few years ago, we carried out a study for FranceAgriMer on the dynamism of cheese PDOs, all of which have an interprofession. The study showed how successful industries are organized:
Together, these ingredients energize industries such as Comté, renowned for its prosperity. On the other hand, some have more difficulty because the conditions for success are not necessarily in place.
It is therefore essential to ask to what extent the interprofession can play a role in meeting these challenges, and under what conditions.
The levels of intervention of interprofessions are varied and complex. The first approach is that of the market : how players penetrate the market, promote their products and defend them, for example. Then there are more targeted levels of intervention.
Let's take the example of fruit growers' organizations in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, who are not interprofessional but are attached to the fruit and vegetable interprofession (INTERFEL). They have come together to collectively address the issue of access to water. The future of their production depends on it. At this local level, the interprofession has played a vital role in lobbying public authorities on water-related issues.
Another example is our work for ANIFELT, the interprofessional organization for processed fruit and vegetables, where we helped them redefine their project and governance. It became clear that this sector, particularly for industrial vegetables, had been facing a steady decline in value over the years, with no initiative being taken to regain value.
It was at this point that the idea emerged that it was imperative to develop a project to regain value through innovation, mobilization of players and distribution. We'll have to wait a few years for concrete results.
Another relevant example concerns the interprofessional association of ewe's milk producers in the Pyrenees. This interprofession has had difficulty involving producers and demanding a strong position from them, which has resulted in a secondary position vis-à-vis the dominant players in the sector.
Each sector has its own specific characteristics, and each interprofessional organization must develop a strategy tailored to its particular needs.
Our role at Soliance is to mobilize all these elements for the benefit of the industry as a whole.
The key to our support is to actively listen to the players who make up the inter-professions, because they know the challenges that the sectors will have to face.
It is essential that the men and women who make up this interprofession express their future needs, the levers they wish to prioritize, the challenges they must meet, and the reason why they are united. This is the fundamental step towards building a clear, inspiring political project that is widely shared by its members . Without these solid foundations, the project will lose its power.
A concrete example of this process is currently underway with the Gruyère interprofession in Switzerland, which includes 1,800 breeders, 150 dairies and 11 affineurs.
This ambitious project takes on board the major challenges of our time. Its vision is clear: to create value for every link in the industry . At a seminar in April 2023, delegates (50 people) and industry representatives validated this 15-year political project. The project includes major challenges such as carbon, energy, water, the economy, farm transfers and .....
We have a solid methodology for collaborating with interprofessions and, more generally, with multi-stakeholder collaborative groups of this kind. This enables the players in an industry to work together on how to meet the challenges ahead, and to create a genuine project of shared values.
As soon as a project takes on a political dimension, it arouses new enthusiasm among the players involved.
As soon as a project takes on a political dimension, it arouses new enthusiasm among the players involved.
Let's take the example of the Gruyère sector once again: within this sector, we have identified 3 major programs: going green, sustainability of industry players and competitiveness . These programs are made up of 15 prioritized projects, ranging from urgent to context-dependent. This long-term planning is developed in consultation with the players and their governance bodies.
That's why an ambitious interprofessional organization needs robust, legitimate governance to carry through a strong project aimed at positioning French industries at a level of European, and even global, competitiveness.
As you can see, interprofessionsplay a crucial role in the agri-food sector, facilitating communication between players and promoting market transparency.
We hope we've shed some light on this sector, where Soliance Alimentaire works closely with these interprofessions to increase the competitiveness of the French agri-food sector on a European and global scale.
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