The tension seems high, a few hours from the end of trade negotiations between supermarkets and their suppliers. This Wednesday, the president of the FNSEA Christiane Lambert denounced some of the distributors who “try to circumvent the law”. “Some people try to say: I only pay 80% of the farmers’ share and that is not normal, ”lamented the president of the majority agricultural union at the microphone of Radio Classique.
For their part, supermarkets are crying out about the lack of transparency and exaggerated demands for increases. “A number of distributors dispute the increase in the costs of industrialists and farmers” which reached, according to the president of the FNSEA, 18% over one year in 2022.
“If there is no increase at the end of the chain, (the consequence) will be loss-making results for farmers,” she added. “I understand that it is difficult for everyone, including consumers, but we must dare to say that we are at war, it will last (…) energy will remain expensive”, she assured. According to her, “everyone has accustomed the French to eating cheaper than elsewhere, and there, we come back to the real price which makes it possible to keep French agriculture” afloat.
An increase of around 10% for consumers
The negotiations are tense “for a simple reason”, explained, on RMC, the spokesperson for the Lactalis group, Christophe Piednoël: “what we are asking for is higher than in previous years because we want to pass it on to our price increases in the price of milk. (…) It is an economically difficult year for the agricultural world and the agro-industrial world”, he added.
“It’s a commitment. We paid 25% more the price of milk to breeders so it must be reflected, ”continued Christophe Piednoël, who specified asking for an increase between 9% and 15% depending on the product. “On average we can think that the French will have to support a price increase of about 10%”, he estimated. According to him, “it is the price to pay for having a diet that is healthy and sustainable”.
The discussions which end this Wednesday at midnight with supermarkets, called by Emmanuel Macron to “participate in the effort”, were stormy, in an inflationary context. “We want everyone to take their part,” insisted Olivier Véran, the government spokesperson, this Wednesday on RMC-BFMTV. “The government is taking action. We make sure that prices are slashed on everyday products, ”he said. New price increases are however to be expected for the baskets of the French.