Natural mechanisms have protective virtues. We must rediscover this knowledge strategy and draw inspiration from natural balances. Let's draw on knowledge and knowledge of the biological processes at work in nature, and let's use technical innovations. I favour an integrated vision, an ecosystem in which livestock are linked to their environment.
All animal species, from the largest to the smallest, interest Julie Renoux. This veterinarian, who did her doctoral thesis on the feeding of cattle in an extensive Argentinean system, is just as capable of talking to you about the pathologies of bees as she is of performing a caesarean section on a cow. After graduating from the Toulouse Veterinary School, Julie Renoux practised for seven years in rural areas, in Burgundy and Normandy. Then, in 2014, the scarcity of livestock farms, which were giving way to vast expanses of monocultures, prompted her to change direction and become the veterinary advisor to a departmental health group of breeders. There, she began to explore prevention mechanisms.
"What interests me is to seek a balance between the animal and its environment. In other words, working on the resilience of breeding systems.
explains this enthusiast of life, who brings to Hectar her in-depth knowledge of large animals and her strong desire to contribute to the agro-ecological transition of livestock farming.
My conviction, based on my experience in the field of prevention, is that we must on the one hand reduce the pressure of pathogens on animals and on the other hand strengthen the capacity of animals to resist pathogens with existing means. Eradicating micro-organisms, sterilising, putting animals under cover, all these practices are part of a logic that makes farmers dependent on inputs and that ultimately creates imbalances. Let's start by drawing on knowledge and understanding of the biological processes at work in nature, and let's use technical innovations. I favour an integrated vision, an ecosystem in which livestock are linked to their environment.
I was immediately inspired by the innovation and knowledge dimension. At the Godets farm we have designed a breeding system oriented towards both dairy and meat production. We apply a method that consists of favouring plant and animal diversity, exploiting available resources and limiting pharmacological, food and chemical inputs. It is also a strategy that consists of intervening as little as possible on the animal. This project fits very concretely into my vision of resilience through knowledge. The cycle of materials and the transformation capacities of living organisms are known and documented and contribute to the robustness of a herd. Putting cereals, pastures and cattle together means putting life back into a space and we will be able to study this osmosis with precision. I am thinking, for example, of the question of microbiota and digestive flora of ruminants or the action of trace elements on the health of cattle in this type of system. There are many avenues to explore.
With the second agricultural revolution, in order to intensify production, the world of animal husbandry rushed into a collective drive to intensify and dominate nature; it set aside time-tested know-how that relied on living resources and mechanisms. Yet these natural mechanisms have protective virtues. We must rediscover this knowledge strategy and draw inspiration from natural balances. In short, we must implement biomimicry, i.e. use biological processes and incorporate them into our practices. In the end, we will obtain animals that are more resistant to hazards. In addition, animal welfare is a challenge for the sector.
Feeding the population, caring for animals and being responsible for their welfare from birth to death is a great responsibility. And there are ways to make sure that the job is not a servitude. Let's take an example: putting together a herd with a small group of feeder cows is an interesting strategy to avoid bottle-feeding the calves. My conviction is that we need to reconnect with knowledge on the one hand and make the most of technological innovations on the other. That's what's exciting: finding the solutions that life has always offered and exploring the most advanced technologies. In addition, the next generation of breeders will be redesigning the landscape because this profession is about land use planning.
So I would say to them: you will be the heroes of tomorrow.
