“Our businesses must be able to come out of the red”declared Christiane Lambert, new president of the Federation of French delicatessen and catering companies (Fict) and former boss of the majority agricultural union FNSEA.
She calls for “revaluations” purchase prices to manufacturers on the occasion of the start of annual commercial negotiations with supermarket brands, the scene of bitter discussions on product prices.
“There will be no French food sovereignty, there will be no processing in France, if there are no profitable businesses”defends Ms. Lambert, who has just left the presidency of the main agricultural pressure group in the European Union, Copa. Nearly one in three charcuterie manufacturers (30%) closed the 2023 financial year with a loss, according to a study by the Banque de France commissioned by Fict, the Inaporc inter-professional association and the public establishment France AgriMer. It was one in four (25%) in 2022.
“There will be no French food sovereignty if there are no profitable businesses”
The net margin – which evaluates the income generated by the company in relation to its costs – has further eroded, to 0.9% of turnover on average for charcuterie companies, compared to 2.3% in the scale of the entire agri-food industry.
“Our charcuterie companies process 75% of French pigs. If they experience difficulties, do not have the means to invest, to modernize, they lose their place on the shelves compared to imported products, which is also detrimental for breeders.argues the president of Fict, herself a pork producer.
The organization has around 300 members: companies of all sizes, including heavyweights Herta, Fleury Michon and Aoste. The meat processing industries represent 32,000 jobs in France.
