French milk strike over sour prices

10/09/09 18:05 CET

europa

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Supplies of milk from some French producers could begin to dry up from this Thursday. The association of independents — APLI — has called a strike, as had been threatened. Crestfallen over low prices and alarmed over a phasing out of quotas, which help control prices, dairy farmers have been demonstrating for months, notably in France and Germany, and in Brussels.

In Paris, the President of the European Milk Board (or lobby), Romuald Schaber, said: “We feel we have been abandoned by politicians — left in the lurch. Nothing they’ve done so far has helped. So the French here have said they will stop supplying milk. They will ask Europe’s other suppliers to join the strike in solidarity.” France’s main farm union is not in favour of a strike. The Milk Board says farmers should get a raise, to 40 euro cents per litre. The price has fallen as low as 20 cents this year — well below what it costs to produce.More about: Agriculture, European Union, Strike

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