Reaction to farmer protests: Lidl makes pork more expensive

Thursday 10 December 2020

Response to peasant protests
Lidl makes pork more expensive

For weeks, farmers have been complaining about livelihoods and protesting against the low prices of retail chains. In many cities they block central warehouses. Lidl is now reacting to this with a price increase. Other discounters could follow suit.

The discounter Lidl has raised the prices of pork products in response to the latest protest and blockade actions by farmers. Lidl has raised the purchase price for ten items from the pork range by one euro per kilogram, as a result, the sales price is rising by the same amount, Lidl announced in Heilbronn.

Lidl had already announced last week that it would be paying out an additional 50 million euros to farmers through the Animal Welfare Initiative. Another emergency measure for the pig farmers under pressure will now follow, it said. "Price consciously increased for our farmers" is what Lidl says on the price tag for items such as minced pork or ham schnitzel.

"We are passing on 100 percent of the price increase for this item." The discounter explained that customers would have the opportunity to make a conscious decision to make a contribution to supporting local agriculture. The group had agreed with its suppliers that one hundred percent of the surcharge would be passed on to the farmers. The money should "arrive at the farms quickly and unbureaucratically".

Association calls for new framework conditions

The farmers, who are in need of their livelihoods, complain about low producer prices and what they see as unfair behavior on the part of the retail chains. In the past two weeks they blocked central warehouses with their tractors in many cities. The German Farmers' Association demanded on Wednesday that cooperation between agriculture and trade required "new framework conditions and fundamental change". The claim paper was addressed to Aldi, Lidl, Edeka and Rewe. On Friday, Lidl competitor Aldi wants to hold talks with, among other things, the farmers' protest movement "Land creates connections".

The managing director of the interest group of pig farmers in Germany (ISN) in Damme, Lower Saxony, Torsten Staack, welcomed Lidl's reaction. He assumes that the other dealers will also follow suit. The sharp fall in producer prices would be offset by increased consumer prices. "So far, none of the higher consumer prices have reached the farmers." The discussion must lead to a pricing policy that is sustainable for farmers too.