Tough negotiationswith the aim of finding the golden ratio in terms of the price of Obelia in the run-up to Easter, are underway between breeders and butchers, with the first ones to note that it is not going to to sell lamb goats at an average price below 8 euros/kg and the latter to 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 15 euros/kg. At the same time and according to APE-MBE, orders are already listed at 30% off 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 put hand deeper in pocket this year’s Easter.
The above results from the positions of the vice-presidents of the Hellenic Livestock Association (SEK), Dimitris Moschouof the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Butchers, Savva Kesidisvice-president of the National Interprofessional Animal Husbandry Organization (EDOTOK) in the meat sector and head of the Union of Consumer Workers of Greece, Apostolos Rautopoulosahead of the Easter holiday season.
However, both expressed dissatisfaction with the statement of the Minister of Development, Kostas Skrekas, who recently stated that lambs will be included in the Housewife’s Basketthe validity of which began and their price should not exceed 10 euros/kg.
Butchers and breeders declare that they are “direct, good partners” and in unison with the consumer representative they send their fire to the Ministry of Development, saying that with his statements the responsible minister, “broke the market a breath before the coming of Eastercreating a great disturbance.”
Complaint by butchers – The breeders are on the “bars” – The consumers are on “complex stones”
The “complaint” of the butchers is that the Minister of Development came out and said that this year lamb and goat have a price ceiling of 10 euros, with Savvas Kesidis arguing that these prices concern mainly supermarket chains and raise questions about the quality of amnoerifis. According to him, everything that is sold at a price below €14/kg is either Greekized, foreign, or what was left over from the Catholic Easter and was left in the freezers. At the same time, he asks the government not to put informal ceilings on prices and thus create problems in the market and emphasizes that butchers this year they will back off, squeezing their profit margin.
According to Mr. Kesidis, “the breeder sells them 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.”
For his part, Mr. Moschos argues that Greek livestock is declining and thousands of animals are being lost. “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. With this move, we believe that the ministry either he wants to strengthen some specific production units, or he wants to destroy Greek livestock farming“, he notes.
According to him, Greek breeders have agreed to sell lamb goats at a price between 7.5-9 euros/kg, while 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.
For his part, Mr. Rautopoulos argues that the Ministry of Development is fooling consumers and notes that this year’s Easter will be the most expensive compared to other yearsleaving consumers in a bind.
