Comeos (the Federation of Commerce and Services) regrets that no solution about pork-related issues was found while consulting the chain on Tuesday. "It was not possible to reach an agreement neither on a short-term solution or on a structural approach", specifies the Federation.
"An agreement on a long-term vision, coupled with structural solutions is possible, and within this frame, we can bet together on quality and innovation. In addition, we were ready to grant a temporary financial effort, but this proposal has proven unenforceable. Yesterday, Agrofront also acknowledged that the commitment made late August is not executable in law. The Competition Authority had already objected. We operate in an international market and a supplement would have had an impact both on imports and on exports of pigs. Of the eleven million pigs raised in Belgium, eight million are exported", explains Dominique Michel, CEO of Comeos.
He explains further: "The temporary surcharge was meant to treat all customers equally. That is to say, the supermarket and the butcher, the Horeca sector (hospitality, restaurant and catering) and the hawker. This is the only way that pig farmers would have benefited from the help they need, what’s more, with warranties. We were even prepared to accept a price supplement from slaughterhouses. But that was not feasible legally. It makes no sense to conclude an agreement which is not controllable, because pig farmers would not benefit from any guarantee of a higher income."
(Source: Belga)
