Berlin - A leading German supermarket chain said Wednesday
it would boost the retail price of milk, eight days after German
farmers cut off milk supplies in a protest at falling incomes.
The decision was the first sign of success for the farmers involved in the conflict, which has spilled over into other European nations as well.
Lidl, a discount grocer, said it would increase the sale price of
milk by 10 euro cents (15 dollar cents) per litre from Monday.
Another leading grocer, Rewe, said it expected to follow suit.
Romuald Schaber, president of the BDM association of German dairy
farmers, said the refusal to supply milk to dairy factories would
continue while farmers waited to see the result of talks with the
milk-processing industry on a new pricing system.
The BDM said thousands of farmers from Germany, Belgium and the
Netherlands would gather Thursday at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate for a
protest rally.
On Wednesday, dairy farmers had shifted their demonstrations from
milk-processing plants to the offices of the grocery chains, which
they blame for low milk prices in Europe's biggest economy.
Protesters picketed the headquarters of Lidl and Aldi, the leading
discount grocers, as well as the head office of Edeka, Germany's
biggest regular-price grocer.
The German Cartel Office began an inquiry that may end in a huge
fine for the BDM for breaking a German law that outlaws economic
boycotts.
After legal advice, the BDM had to advise radical farmers on
Tuesday to end several days of picketing which had prevented milk
supplies from non-striking farms being taken to factories for
processing.
The HDE national retail federation said milk and yoghurt were once
again moving out to shops, despite claims by farm leaders that 70 to
80 per cent of milk from Germany's cows was being dumped onto fields
or into drains and feed troughs.
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