AWE, Belgium - Inno4Grass

Mr. Patrick Mayeres Director Rue des Champs Elysées 4 5590 Ciney Belgium Phone: +3283234097 Phone (2): +32496086594 E-Mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Webpage: www.awenet.be

In Belgium, the Walloon breeding association (AWE) counts more than 5000 members in Wallonia, and is headed by a board of directors exclusively composed of breeders. AWE is divided into two distinct structures named awé services (a non-profit organization) and awé cooperative. All farm animals are concerned, such as pig, poultry and sheep, but the main speciality is cow. The AWE non-profit (asbl) organization provides advice and support to the breeders and is implicated in the research area. AWE is also the leader of the Interreg project OPTIMIR. The OPTIMIR network involves Milk Recording Organisations and Research Partners. It's an innovative framework for the development of dairy farm management tools based on MIR technology. The department which is concerned in this project is the Technico-Economical department. This team provides to the breeders relevant advices to perform and enhance their income by economic management and technique. Therefore, 13 experts (agronomists and accountants) collect exhaustive technico-economical data’s with which several results can be edit for each farm activity: e.g. economical balance, mineral balance, food autonomy, forages efficiency. All advisers have a global view of farming system and are able to provide advices on a large kind of themes such as farm economy, investments, alimentation, forage and especially grassland production, sustainable farming system, social problems, agricultural policies. The Technico-Economical department is also managing more than 20 CETA. These are groups of about 12 farmers who meet 10 times per year for exchanging and experimenting innovative subjects.