“We will say that we are used to“. Yves de la Fouchardière wants to be fatalistic and reassuring. Faced with the high risk of transmission of avian flu, French and Sarthe breeders must protect their poultry from migratory birds. Loué chickens, turkeys and capons are therefore temporarily deprived of their liberty.. Containment that will have no impact on poultry production believes the director general of Fermiers de Loué. “If you take precautions, there aren’t many risks. After that, does that change much? Not really, since the breeders are trained. They know the protocol of bringing in poultry for those that can be entered. Some poultry have the right to stay outside in reduced runs subject to a derogation“.
– yann lastennet
There will be turkeys and capons at Christmas
This is the case in particular with turkeys who are allowed to stay outside on short courses. The capons, them, are confined to a few weeks of Christmas but that does not change much according to Yves de la Fouchardière. ” At this time, the capons are generally cloistered before being slaughtered and marketed. And then this year, we had an extraordinary season to prepare festive poultry. I do not know if you realized, but the weather, finally, was very favorable“.
Relief for the 1100 Farmers of Loué. They produce 800,000 capons, hens and turkeys every year. for the end of year celebrations. Festive poultry whose selling price and margins are much higher than chickens. ” We used to say that it is the 13th month of the breeders“adds Yves de la Fouchardière according to a well-honed formula.
– yann lastennet
More expensive chickens and capons this year
What worries Yves de la Fouchardière, on the other hand, is the soaring price of cereals. They represent 65% of the cost of a breeder. ” Yes, animal feed is overpriced. We put a biker in the front and in the back of the truck, grain is so expensive today“jokes the general manager of Fermiers de Loué even if he is not at all amused by this price hike.”They have increased from 27 to 28% in one year. It is the same as the problems encountered by bakers. And so, obviously, it happens gradually in the factories, it happens gradually in the farms and gradually in the slaughterhouses.“.
And on the consumer’s bill. Of the 22 million chickens produced each year by Fermiers de Loué, the margin is 2% on average according to the boss of the Sarthoise cooperative. Impossible under these conditions not to pass on this increase. “When prices fall, we share the price reductions. When it goes up, it has to go up differently, we disappear. But it will still not be considerable. Brought down to a festive poultry, it’ll be one euro fifty, two euros maximum on a festive chicken weighing three and a half kilos“.
The Covid was great! Yves de la Fouchardière, general manager of Fermiers de Loué
The health crisis did not have all bad sides for the Fermiers de Loué. Quite the contrary according to its director. “Consumers spent more time at home with the lockdowns. They cooked a lot more and ate more Loué poultry“. Producers’ sales have increased by 8 to 10%. Unheard of for fifteen years. So, for Yves de la Fouchardière,”the covid was great“! even if with the return to life (almost) before and the resumption of face-to-face work, this boom in chicken sales has stopped.