“They are killing food in France, closing farms”, denounced Thursday, January 27 on franceinfo Christiane Lambert, president of the FNSEA (National Federation of Farmers’ Unions), concerning the large distributors who, according to it, practice “prices that are much too low in view of the increases in charges that farmers are subject to”.
>> How is the price of our races negotiated? Behind the scenes of the annual agribusiness trade talks
His federation and the Young Farmers will lead this day “an action to monitor prices and origins” products in mass distribution, which she accuses of “bypassing” the Egalim 2 law supposed to apply to trade negotiations 2022 and allow fair remuneration for farmers. “When you read promotions that say 62% off, 62% free product. Who pays? It’s the farmers who are forced to have lower prices in compensation so that the distributors can portray themselves as the big advocates of food in France”, she denounced.
>> Fruit and vegetable prices jumped 9% in France between 2019 and 2021, according to the association Families Rurales
franceinfo: What is the purpose of your call for mobilization on Thursday?
Christian Lambert: Farmers need to go see on the spot, in supermarkets, what is happening there. We have seen the advertisements, heard the declarations, we see while shopping that there are margins that are excessively high, promotions that are at a discount, prices that are much too low in view of the increases in charges that farmers are undergoing today. The cost of feeding our animals has increased by 13% on average and by 30% for feeding laying hens. Energy increased by 39%, fertilizers by 79%.
“We are facing a context of outbreak that we have never known and therefore we must pass on these increases to the sale of our products, otherwise we will have no income.”
Christiane Lambert, President of the FNSEAat franceinfo
Distributors are toughest when our hikes are highest. It’s incomprehensible.
The Egalim 2 law should make negotiations more transparent and guarantee better incomes for farmers, do you think it is circumvented by certain brands?
Yes. The first law had already not produced any effects because the distributors had already circumvented it. This is called for “a fair remuneration for farmers” and it is clear that the distributors are struggling to escape their old moons of thirty years of low prices, during which they have destroyed much agriculture and industry. in France. With flash promotions, cash prizes, they really try to circumvent it. When you read promotions that say 62% off, 62% free product. It is not free. Someone produced it. Who pays ? It is the farmers who are forced to have lower prices in remuneration so that the distributors can present themselves as the great defenders of food in France. But they are killing food in France. They are shutting down the farms.
Your operation is also a response to Michel-Edouard Leclerc, who decided to sell his baguette for 29 euro cents?
Indeed. It is a provocation. As he produces the bread, he buys the flour and 14 ingredients because, you may have seen it on social networks, in the baker’s baguette there are three ingredients but at Michel-Edouard Leclerc, there are 14. So it’s still over-sophistication and for health, it shouldn’t be terrible anyway. It’s like Carrefour which sells pork ham at 7.50 euros. It’s a totally bargain price. The price, usually, is 17 euros. How does he manage to sell it off at 7.50 euros? Our poultry farmers also cited Auchan as a poor student. They all have their quirks. The goal is to say: “Beware, consumers, you are being fooled”.
“It will kill French agriculture and, tomorrow, we will eat imported products which have fewer guarantees and which have a much more degraded carbon footprint.”
Christiane Lambertat franceinfo
From March 1, it will be mandatory to display the origin of the meat served in restaurants or canteens. Is this a decision you welcome?
This is a claim we have been making for more than five years. It’s a decision we’ve been waiting for. Finally, it happens. We know very well that in commercial catering or in the canteen, there is 70% imported meat in poultry. If the French have the opportunity to know where the meat comes from, I think there will be more French products, because consumers want French products. And for us, farmers, it’s the recognition of our work, it’s the assurance of our outlets and it’s bringing back much more intelligence in consumption. Eating products that are produced close to home, in France, I think is also doing a service to the planet, to the economy, to farmers, but also to the health of consumers.