Butter 60 cents cheaper ?: Dairy farmers block several Aldi warehouses

Monday 28 December 2020

Butter 60 cents cheaper?
Dairy farmers block several Aldi warehouses

While Aldi is negotiating new butter prices with the dairies, hundreds of farmers protest loudly with their tractors in front of the discounter's central warehouses. Farmers fear for their future – according to their statements, a 40 percent cut in prices is under discussion.

There is fear among dairy farmers. Many of them fear drastically falling milk prices and have therefore now driven their tractors to demonstrations. In Schleswig-Holstein, a total of up to 200 farmers protested in two places against what they saw as the threat of price reductions in supermarkets for agricultural products.

In Nortorf, the farmers protested up to 100 vehicles and loud horns in front of the Aldi central warehouse on Sunday evening, as the police announced. Because of the low traffic, there were no traffic obstructions despite the tractor column. However, residents had complained about the noise. The farmers then waived the horn. Up to 100 tractors had also gathered in front of the Aldi central warehouse in Gleschendorf in the community of Scharbeutz, said Uta Schmidt-Kühl, chairwoman of the Schleswig-Holstein peasant movement "Land Creates Connection" (LSV).

There were also protests in Lower Saxony. In front of the Aldi central warehouse in Hesel in the district of Leer, around 200 tractors were on the road today, Monday, causing truck traffic jams on the access roads.

The background to the actions are current butter price negotiations between the discounter Aldi and the dairies, said Schmidt-Kühl. A reduction of 40 percent is under discussion.

Aldi company spokesman Joachim Wehner announced that Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are currently in the tender for butter. "The prices we pay are based on supply and demand in the entire market, influenced by many other factors." It is completely normal and repeats itself every year that the butter prices rise due to the high demand at Christmas time and then fall again at the beginning of the year. "This principle is basically also reflected in the offers of the dairies, as they are presented to all dealers at this time of the year," said the spokesman. One does not want to comment publicly on details of ongoing price negotiations.

"This is pure despair"

According to the peasant movement, however, the planned price cut is much more drastic than usual. A LSV spokesman from Lower Saxony said that up to 60 cents were planned instead of the usual 10 to 20 percent.

The association is disappointed because there have already been initial discussions with the large food retailers Aldi, Rewe, Lidl and Edeka with a view to prices and these should be continued in January. The negotiations that Aldi has now started with the dairies for lower butter prices are therefore "a slap in the face," said Schmidt-Kühl. In addition, the farmers are desperate. "That is the sheer existential fear. Nothing to do with fun and pleasure. That is pure despair."