France: EIB backs Sodiaal, France’s largest dairy cooperative

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• A €70 million EIB loan guaranteed by the InvestEU programme will support Sodiaal’s research and development investment and its more than 14 500 member farmers, helping to safeguard their business model and strengthen their competitiveness in a very fast-moving market.
• The project will also help to make the dairy sector greener.
• The EIB financing is part of its support for agriculture, but also for innovation via the TechEU initiative.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a €70 million loan to Sodiaal – the largest dairy cooperative in France and the third largest in Europe – enabling it to finance its research, development and innovation programmes from 2025 to 2028. With its more than 8 000-member dairy farms, and more than 14 500 member farmers, Sodiaal owns the Yoplait, Candia and Entremont brands. Its activities include the production of drinking milk, cheeses, butters, yogurts, infant dairy products, and dairy ingredients.

This financing is part of the EIB’s expanded assistance not only for agriculture and the bioeconomy, but also for innovation via its new TechEU programme. TechEU aims to provide large-scale support for research and development, the digital transformation and the adoption of new practices to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy while also reducing its environmental impact. This loan is backed by a guarantee under the European Union’s InvestEU programme, which supports innovation, sustainability and competitiveness in strategic sectors of the European economy.

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle, who is responsible for the Bank’s operations in France, said: “The French and European agri-food industry is facing strong international competition – an issue that can be addressed by accelerating research and innovation. The EIB is proud to once again be helping Sodiaal to make major investments in new agricultural practices aiming to cut CO₂ emissions, new products, and in the energy transition of the dairy sector.”

Sodiaal Cooperative Chairman and Loire Region Dairy Farmer Jean-Michel Javelle added:“The agricultural industry and the dairy sector are undergoing major transitions. Farmers have always been able to adapt to fulfil their key role of feeding the population. We will defend the French origin of our milk, our role in local communities and the generational renewal that is vital to ensuring that milk will still be available in the future. It is our responsibility to help our farmers to achieve competitive and more sustainable production. A lot of investment is needed. We are particularly grateful for the EIB’s support, which shows a shared commitment to French agriculture into the future.”

Sodiaal Managing Director Antoine Collette said:“Innovation in our sector is huge. We’re not only cutting carbon, reducing the use of plastic in our packaging and lowering water consumption on our sites, but also adapting to what consumers now expect from their food. Our Growing Together strategic plan puts profitability on the same level as sustainability. The two things cannot be separated. Sodiaal invests in and takes responsibility for its member farmers, employees, customers and consumers. EIB support is important for accelerating our projects.”

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen said: “Farmers are more than producers – they are entrepreneurs and innovators. They are helping to make our agricultural sector more sustainable, competitive and resilient via the bioeconomy, smart resource management and the use of technologies like milking and feeding machines. Now more than ever, innovation must be at the heart of our policies to enable the agri-food sector – including cooperatives like those in the French dairy sector – to prosper. By actively backing investment in agricultural innovation, we promote more efficient, job-creating and future-oriented agriculture.”

This is the second time the EIB has provided financing to Sodiaal, with an initial €40 million loan for research, development and innovation granted in 2018. This new loan shows the stronger long-term partnership with the EIB and the cooperative’s positive efforts to continue to innovate and improve its environmental practices while preserving the economic stability of its members in the face of fluctuating commodity prices on the markets.

Background information

EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. The EIB finances investments in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world and Europe’s capital markets union. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. In France, the EIB Group signed more than 100 agreements in 2024, totalling €12.6 billion. Almost 60% of annual EIB Group financing supports projects that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a healthier environment.

Sodiaal

Sodiaal is France’s largest dairy cooperative, with 14 500 dairy farmers in 71 departments and 53 processing sites across the country. Commitment to the cooperative concept has enabled French dairy producers to pool their output and process it jointly. This commitment has created a “by farmers, for farmers” governance structure that redistributes 100% of profits. Sodiaal works to ensure fair income, support generational renewal and promote the green transition. Buying Yoplait, Candia or Entremont products supports French dairy and agriculture, and backs our mission to create a sustainable and responsible future for the entire dairy sector. The Sodiaal cooperative is led by its chairman, Jean-Michel Javelle, while Antoine Collette is its managing director. For more information, visit www.sodiaal.coop

InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps to attract private investment for the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme has three components: The InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.