The chart, which reports survey results from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and Russia, reveals the highest scores were recorded for reducing production costs and securing financial security. More than 80 percent of farmers in all six countries – including more than 95 percent of those in the UK – said they were working to reduce production costs to improve business viability.

Nearly 95 percent of UK farmers also said they wanted to secure the financial security of their businesses, with Poland and Russia also scoring more than 90 percent on this question. While this suggests these countries are particularly vulnerable to low milk prices, a score of only 60 percent in the Netherlands suggests a more stable business environment for dairy farmers there.

Improving feed efficiency is a business goal for more than 70 percent of the farmers questioned in all the countries, although it is a major focus in Germany, the United Kingdom and Russia. This is of particular interest in Germany because efficient use of animal feeds is directly related to the level of waste products – and phosphorous in particular – in manure, so improvements will help dairy farmers meet the country's new Fertilizer Ordinance.

Optimizing herd management is also a goal in all the countries surveyed, although it is a particular aim for milk producers in the Netherlands, who scored it significantly higher than the others at more than 90 percent, reinforcing the entrepreneurial nature of Dutch farmers.

Increasing animal welfare is another target for dairy farmers across Europe, and is a particular goal for producers in Poland and the United Kingdom, who feel most strongly that there is potential to increase animal welfare within their systems. Interestingly, the lowest score on this question is from France, where it could be argued that the population has a much closer relationship with food, and a more realistic attitude to farming practices.

Agricultural development insights

Launched at the end of 2017, DLG-Agrifuture Insights replaces and extends the scope of the DLG's Trendmonitor Europe surveys. It has been introduced to supply insights into the developments taking place in the world's most important agricultural regions at a time when the international agricultural sector is changing rapidly, and technologies, markets and market relations, structures and processes are all in a state of transition.

Precise information is vital during this time of change and transformation, when identifying change at an early stage is a crucial success factor in adapting products and services to the changing needs of customers. The focus of DLG-Agrifuture Insights is on animal husbandry and crop production, machinery and equipment, management, business climate and willingness to invest, identifying the top five investment areas and prevailing policies. It helps identify current trends and to assess business climate and expectations. This helps support agribusiness companies in developing strategies in international markets, and also gives farmer-entrepreneurs important stimuli for developing their business.

The DLG-Agrifuture Insights findings are reached by questioning a global panel made up of 2,000 future-oriented farmers in 13 countries – Brazil, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Iran, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, USA and Zambia. Surveys are conducted every February/March in the southern hemisphere and every August/September in the northern hemisphere, with the findings supplemented by continuous background research and regular interviews with top decision-makers.

Download chart here:

•  DLG-AgrifutureInsights-graph-month-February-NEW.pdf 246,01Kb
   
•  Agrifuture Insights February final.pdf 373,42Kb

Attractive subscription model with DLG membership

A DLG-Agrifuture Insights subscription – in English or German – costs 1,900 euros per annum. This covers not only all country and trend reports, as well as background reports, but also DLG membership. This means subscribers also profit from DLG's global network of experts, the attractive offerings of the DLG trade fairs (famed as leaders in their field around the world), current professional events and expert publications, as well as sector-specific advanced training and educational opportunities.

Detailed information is available at: www.DLG.org/afi.