Angry farmers invade Lactalis headquarters in Laval

Despite Gabriel Attal's announcements this Wednesday, farmers remain mobilized. Some 200 angry demonstrators entered the headquarters of Lactalis, the world's leading dairy company, in Laval this Wednesday. They responded to the call from the Peasant Confederation, to once again denounce the practices of the giant of the dairy industry and demand better remuneration for breeders. Helped by two tractors, the demonstrators managed to force entry to the site and took over the reception hall of the headquarters, covering the premises with stickers proclaiming “Our profession has a price”, and brandishing signs “Lactalis, predator of value” or “Lactalis kills”.

“Lactalis is the world number one in milk which is not capable of paying its producers correctly,” Laurence Marandola, national spokesperson for the Confédération Paysanne, told journalists from the reception of the agro-industrial group. . “Lactalis is the global and national emblem of companies that prey on our work, the price of our products and the work of farmers,” she added. “There are so many profits that do not trickle down to producers and breeders, it’s an absolute scandal,” said the head of the agricultural union, accusing Lactalis of “enslaving practices” and of inflicting “retaliation” on all the breeders who publicly protest against his methods by refusing to collect their milk. “They can’t speak, the Lactalis breeders,” she said.

Lactalis “is surprised” in a press release “at the holding of this mobilization and deplores the conditions in which it took place” specifying that “negotiations under the aegis of the mediator of commercial and agricultural relations [are] currently in progress. course [sic]”.

“The discussions between Lactalis and the producer organization Unell, within the framework of the Egalim provisions, relate to a private law contract with the aim of reaching a satisfactory solution to find a fair balance on the price of milk [...] .]. Lactalis was the first to request this mediation in a constructive approach and with the desire to quickly find a solution,” affirms the group.

Asked about the announcements made in the morning by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Laurence Marandola judged that the new version of the Egalim law, supposed to guarantee farmers an income taking into account their production costs, could not wait until this summer. “The priority of priorities cannot wait until summer. If in two weeks we can resolve questions about phytosanitary products, why couldn't we in a few weeks adopt a law that protects farmers' income,” she said.

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And Gabriel Attal “did not guarantee a minimum price that would cover our remuneration and our production costs,” she criticized. With more than 28 billion euros in turnover in 2022, Lactalis has dethroned another juggernaut, Danone, as the French leader in the agri-food industry and entered the world's top 10 in the sector. The group, which celebrated its 90th anniversary in October, has 270 production sites in 51 countries and 85,000 employees. Its products, whose packaging bears no mention of Lactalis, are marketed in 150 countries.