Lactalis: the dairy giant's stand targeted again at the Agricultural Show

The stand of the dairy giant Lactalis, where manure had already been dumped on Saturday, was invaded on Tuesday by members of the Peasant Confederation denouncing milk prices that were too low. A few dozen demonstrators and a black Breton cow carrying on its back a flag in the colors of the agricultural union, arrived at the stand around 12:20 p.m., to unfurl banners and cover it with stickers, including “Industrialists make their money on our back".

Lactalis “offers 420 euros per ton of milk when the real cost of production is 440 and to pay the breeders, you need 500 euros,” said the spokesperson for the Farmers’ Confederation Laurence Marandola on the stand. “Lactalis has been making margins for months, years. “It’s the world’s leading dairy group and it doesn’t trickle down to farmers,” she denounced. Lactalis, warned of a possible action, had stopped the activities at around 11:30 a.m. on its stand praising the group's brands (Président, Société, Lactel, Bridélice, etc.). “We receive a lot of families and children,” explained a spokesperson.

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A curtain of security guards attempted to block the demonstrators, but were quickly overwhelmed. A brief scuffle took place when officers tried to stop demonstrators from hanging a “For Remunerative Prices” banner. The demonstrators left the stand shortly after 1:00 p.m., saying that they would “maybe” come back and leaving behind walls covered with stickers, quickly removed by employees of the group. “We didn’t change the world, but we tried,” said a demonstrator as they left.

Lactalis, the leading French agri-food group, has been targeted in recent weeks by several actions by farmers denouncing its purchase price of milk. Mediation is underway between the company and the organization defending the interests of its suppliers (Unell). Some 200 demonstrators from the Confédération paysanne took over the group's headquarters in Laval last Wednesday for several hours. In a press release, the group states that, “since the start of the Agricultural Show, Lactalis and its various contacts in the dairy sector have maintained a continuous dialogue on the issues specific to the sector and are part of a reflection integrating both the remuneration parameters for producers as well as the necessary competitiveness of French milk for export.

The group broadcast on X a photo of an interview between its boss, Emmanuel Besnier and the president of the majority union FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau. Dairy processors - private companies and cooperatives - argue that 40% of French milk is sold for export, a market very sensitive to price, complicating the equation to better remunerate breeders.