Beef farmers win increase in price

LIVESTOCK breeders have won an increase in the price they get for beef after blockading nine abattoirs owned by France’s biggest beef supplier, the Bigard group.

National Beef Federation president Pierre Chevalier said that the increase, of between two and five cents a kilo, was just the first step in their bid for a 60 centime price rise, their original demand when they started the blockades on Sunday.

Farmers had complained that it had become impossible to make a profit: after buying a heifer and rearing it for two years, they made nothing on its sale, while at the same time having to invest large sums to meet new regulations.

The new price structure adds €0.05 per kilo for beef meat and €0.02 for meat from dairy cattle. Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA) vice-president Christine Lambert said it would mean an average of €70 extra for each beast.

The Bigard group, which owns the Charal brand, controls about half of the French beef market and farmers say it is abusing its power to control prices. It is estimated to have a turnover of about €5 billion.

The agreement comes after agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire called both sides together to force them to negotiate. He said the prices paid to farmers had to rise and called on pricing regulator Philippe Chalmin to examine the beef market.

He said he wanted to know how “farmers could be paid €3/kg and customers have to pay €17/kg for their entrecôte”. He has called for the answers before the end of the year.

Photo: fotolia.com © Andi Taranczuk