Easter 2024: Butchers, breeders and consumers are in a frenzy about the price the lamb will have. Tough negotiations between breeders and butchers for the price of arrowroot ahead of Easter – Consumers are in the middle. All developments at xristika.gr.
Livestock breeders and butchers are already carrying out tough negotiations with the aim of finding the golden ratio in terms of the price of the arrow in the run-up to Easter.
The breeders note that they are not going to sell lamb goats at an average price below 8 euros/kg and the butchers emphasize that, as the situation has developed after the announcements of the Ministry of Development, in their stores, the price is calculated this year a little lower than the 15 euros/kg, at a time when orders are already down by 30% compared to the corresponding period last year, while the verese has returned strongly.
In the middle are the Greek consumers, who will be asked to reach deeper into their pockets this Easter.
These results from the positions of the vice-president of the Hellenic Livestock Association (SEK), Dimitris Moschos, a breeder, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Butchers, Savva Kesidis, vice-president of the National Interprofessional Organization of Livestock (EDOTOK) in the meat sector and the head of the Union of Consumer Workers of Greece, Apostolos Rautopoulos, in the context of today’s press conference held at the Professional Chamber of Commerce of Thessaloniki (EETH), ahead of the Easter holiday season.
According to the Athenian and Macedonian News Agency, both expressed their dissatisfaction with the statement of the Minister of Development, Kostas Skrekas, who recently stated that lambs will be included in the Easter Basket, the validity of which began today, and their price should not be to exceed 10 euros/kg.
In his statement, the president of the EETH, Michalis Zorpides, stated that “the prices should be arranged by breeders and traders and not by those who sit in the offices”, while he noted that while the chambers are advisors to the state, however “at least by the EETH , his advice was not sought.”
Butchers and breeders declared at today’s press conference once again that they are “direct, good partners” and in unison with the consumer representative sent their fire to the Ministry of Development, saying that with his statements the responsible minister, “damaged the market a breath before the coming of Easter, creating great disturbance.’
Easter 2024: Consumers in “complex stones”.
The “complaint” of the butchers that the Minister of Development came out and said that this year lamb and goat have a ceiling of 10 euros/kg, was expressed by the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Butchers, Savvas Kesidis, vice-president of the National Interprofessional Livestock Organization ( EDOTOK), saying that “these prices, which mainly concern supermarket chains, raise questions about the quality of amnoerifis”.
In fact, he wondered “all the lambs that will be sold for €10/kg or less, where will they come from?” We don’t know if the price of €10 represents Greek, quality lamb, as everything sold at a price below €14/kg is either Greekized, foreign, or left over from the Catholic Easter and left in the freezers “, he pointed out.
Underlining that “we are on the side of the breeder and the consumer”, Mr. Kesidis said “we demand the government to stand up to its standards and not put informal ceilings spoiling the whole market.
The law of supply and demand is above the state and this will be revealed at the markets on Thursday and Saturday in Drama and Kilkis respectively, where we will try to find the golden ratio with the breeders.”
In any case, Mr. Kesidis emphasized that “the butchers will turn their backs again this year and by squeezing our profit margin, we agreed to sell the lambs even at a price lower than €15/kilo”.
Arguing the butchers’ position regarding the price of the arrowhead, Mr. Kesidis said that “the breeder sells them for up to €9/kg and the butcher buys them from the trader for €10/kg.
With operating costs and VAT, this price rises to approximately €12.5/kg. If we sell at a reduced profit margin, it’s easy to see how we’ll get to €15/kg,” he explained.
“Greek livestock is declining and losing thousands of animals. We see the Ministry of Development putting a ceiling at €10/kg and we already know that we will have a loss of at least two euros/kg”, said the vice-president of the Hellenic Livestock Association, Dimitris Moschos, noting that “with this move, we believe that the ministry either wants to strengthen some specific production units, or wants to destroy Greek livestock farming”, he stressed.
He wondered, “how can a government put a ceiling on the price of meat and not be able to do the same on the price of electricity?”.
Among other things, in his presentation he pointed out that Greek breeders have agreed to sell lamb goats at a price between 7.5-9 euros/kg, he pointed out that this year’s exports for the Catholic Easter were increased by 70% compared to last year and stated that their production costs have increased by 56% in the last three years, at a time when their income has been cut by 36%, due to the reduction of subsidies. He stated that the contribution of the livestock sector together with processing participates in a percentage of 17% of the GDP and emphasized that due to the recent disasters from floods and fires “our country has already lost 100,000 manas”.
“Every year we breeders also enter at Easter”, he stressed and added that due to the lack of support from the sector and as a result of the “three-leggedness” that they keep putting us through, it is possible that in the next few years, there will be no Greek lambs available. at the Easter market. Greek animal husbandry is “dying”, he stressed.
