Mikael Kauttu shares his thoughts regarding the field visit to the Local Action Group GAL Maremma Milk Producers Cooperative project which offered some exposure to project interventions, the project’s impact on the cooperative, as well as its achievements.

The Maremma Milk Producers Cooperative was founded in the 1960’s, when a group of producers decided to join the company to meet the needs of modernization of production and the introduction of new health rules, requiring inter alia the pasteurization of milk. The need for a reorganization of the sector was also imposed because the costs for collection and subsequent processing of the milk could not be supported by individual companies. The cooperative is still operative, and currently encompasses 85 members and producers of milk.

The cooperative had recently benefited an investment of € 60 000 from LEADER, which is an innovative approach within EU rural development policy. LEADER stands for ‘Links between actions for rural development’, and is a method for mobilizing and delivering rural development in local rural communities.

The investment has been directed to the optimization of the milk production chain, in the processes of collection, processing, bottling, storage, distribution and marketing of the product.

During the visit, we were showed around in the facilities and were given a presentation on the cooperative’s activities. Overall the facilities demonstrated a high degree of automation, and of an effective time allocation in the cycle of milk collecting processing, and packaging. The product roster of the cooperative is planned to include organic milk, a high value product for which there is market potential in the region, although higher production cost. Organic milk is defined as milk from cows that have been exclusively fed with organic feed, have not been treated with synthetic hormones and are held in pens with adequate space.