Exchanges between distributors, manufacturers and agricultural producers remain tense, despite the progress of the Egalim laws, according to the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce.
Commercial relations between distributors, agri-food manufacturers and agricultural producers “remain marked by a significant level of rigidity and tension”note the Ministries of Agriculture, and Commerce, Crafts and SMEs, following a meeting on Monday January 20. This was a first committee, which brings together all the links in the food and agri-food chain, indicate the two ministries in a press release. A new committee will take place in the coming weeks.
Monday's meeting, with the Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard and the Minister Delegate in charge of Commerce, Crafts and SMEs Véronique Louwagie, “has made it possible to observe that the actors are gradually appropriating the systems of the different Egalim laws ». The so-called Egalim laws aim to better protect the remuneration of farmers, in particular by striving to make “non-negotiable” the price of the agricultural raw material contained in the products (milk in yogurt, wheat in bread, etc.).
According to the “testimonies collected” during this meeting, “the law seems to generate a positive dynamic in the negotiations, particularly in terms of transparency” and in the place given to “preserving farmers’ income in trade negotiations”. But the ministers “recalled the extreme vigilance of the State regarding the application of the law”via controls and fines if necessary.
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In “a context of rising costs, both agricultural and industrial”Who “explains divergences in analysis between actors”il “results in strong tension” between distributors, manufacturers and farmers, notes the press release. The ministers are therefore calling “responsibility” actors “so that everyone takes a step towards the other, to move from price wars to value creation”. In a separate press release, the organization which represents SMEs and mid-sized food companies, Pact'Alim, announces its “strong concerns about the practices of mass retail brands”.
According to a survey of its members, 75% of companies have asked distributors for price increases of 3% on average, but they systematically receive requests for reductions between 2 and 5% on average, and up to 7.5%. %. As every year, since the end of November, large retailers have received the conditions under which their agro-industrial suppliers want to sell them their production in the coming year. They must reach an agreement before March 1, under the watchful eye of the agricultural world and public authorities.
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