Discover how supermarkets and suppliers are embarking on tense negotiations to define prices for 2025: a strategic battle for the future of your purchasing power!
Tl;dr
- Annual negotiations between large retailers and their agro-industrial suppliers have begun.
- Companies have until March 1 to agree on the conditions of sale.
- The “Egalim” laws aim to protect farmers’ remuneration.
The launch of annual negotiations
Every year, a recurring soap opera occupies the French agri-food industry: commercial negotiations between large retailers and their agro-industrial suppliers. From the small biscuit producer to the largest consumer multinationals, everyone is affected.
For 2025, after a disrupted year, the negotiation schedule returns to normal. The conditions of sale had to be sent to large retail customers during the first half of December.
The issues of negotiation
The companies concerned then until March 1 to agree on the conditions of sale. Only major brand products are affected by these negotiations, not products under brands owned by supermarkets.
These negotiations are often accused of driving down the prices paid to agricultural producers.
Protection of farmers
In this context, successive governments under Emmanuel Macron have multiplied so-called “Egalim” lawsin an attempt to protect farmers’ pay. These laws aim in particular to make the price of agricultural raw materials contained in products “non-negotiable”.
However, supermarkets counter that a significant part of farmers’ remuneration depends on other outlets, notably out-of-home catering.
Editorial opinion
It is undeniable that the agri-food sector is complex and diverse. However, the need to protect small producers and ensure fair remuneration for farmers remains essential.
The “Egalim” laws are a step in the right direction, but it is clear that much remains to be done to ensure equitable distribution of income in this sector. It is hoped that these annual negotiations will make progress towards this objective.
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