The Milk Strike is spreading in Europe – politics have to act and relax the situation
The milk strike in France is having a strong influence on other European countries and is spreading fast. Milk producers in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Luxemburg have also stopped distributing their milk. Due to the mood among the dairy farmers in Europe the strike can be expected to spread to more countries. All throughout Europe more and more campaigns and manifestations are taking place.
The politics of agriculture have failed and have led dairy farmers into this desperate situation. The milk producers in Europe are standing with their backs to the wall. So far the politicians have done nothing to improve the situation effectively. In many countries the dairies are paying less than 22 cents for a litre of milk – in some cases just 18 cents are being payed. It costs twice as much to produce it.
Wait until you have to shut down the farm for good? That is one possibility. Or not distributing the milk until the politicians have stated that they will create basic conditions for a market-oriented control of supply. More than 35,000 milk producers in France have chosen that second possibility, because they say, that is a last chance to gain fair prices in the short and long term; the last chance for the survival of their farm. Other countries have joined. The situation is clear to Thomas Schmidthaler, a dairy farmer from Austria and member of the dairy farmer´s organisation IG-Milch: "Would you simply stand there and watch as your family’s livelihood is being destroyed?".
How is the situation in the several countries? What do the dairy farmers in Europe demand? And what is it that politicians have to do to distress the situation?
The EMB invites you to a press conference on Wednesday, 16 September, 10:00, New Hôtel Charlemagne, Boulevard Charlemagne 25, B-1000 Brussels
EMB representatives of several countries will inform you about the milk strike in Europe.
Yours sincerely,
Romuald Schaber
(president of EMB)
Contact:
Romuald Schaber, President EMB (DE): 0049/1515503 7174
Sieta van Keimpema, Vice president EMB (NL, EN, DE): 0031/612168000
Ernst Halbmayr, Board member (DE): 0043/6649249635
Pascal Massol, President APLI, Frankreich (FR): 0033/670517303
Daniel Condat, President OPL, Frankreich (FR): 0033/6 07 08 62 40
