2023-09-15 16:29:29
The shepherds who met this morning in the Larraitze parking lot, near Zamao, showed concern and anger. The representatives of the union called by EHNE met there as the representatives of the union said that “the milk is paid below the costs” and they said that there are contracts that confirm this. The Food Information and Control Agency will file the appropriate complaint, they said “The Food Chain Law establishes that contracts in the sector must always cover production costs”.
The dairy sheep campaign will start in November in Gipuzkoa, and then it will spread to the Basque Country. “Initially, two months before – at this time – the pastors must start receiving offers and signing contracts. The law stipulates that they must be signed two months in advance and that production costs must be covered at least. However, some pastors have sold without a written contract, and most companies do not pay a price that would cover the cost price. We have repeatedly informed the industries of these irregularities,” they said.
According to the Basque Government’s Observatory platform, the cost of producing sheep’s milk is 1.63 euros per liter, while the price paid to the producer has ranged from 1.20 euros to 1.30 euros/l. The situation is unbearable, and if it continues, shepherds will disappear in our territory. A paradox occurs: in the territories around us, such as Castile, the price of sheep’s milk is rising due to the lack of milk, because the shepherds have disappeared in those areas.
He reminded that EHNE will continue to collect data, “in case of any injustice, to file complaints. What’s more, there is a suspicion that the big companies in the sector in the Basque Country are agreeing on prices, as the differences between what some pay and what others pay are small.”
EHNE wants to warn the public and the institutions that have to guarantee that the laws in force will be followed once again, he emphasized. “If these milk prices and the increase in production costs continue, grazing could become a sector that is on the verge of being lost, and this would have serious consequences, both economically and socially, as well as in terms of the environment of our mountains.”
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