France: Farmers step up fight against dairy giant Lactalis

French milk producers on Monday stepped up their protests against global dairy giant Lactalis amidst a slump in prices ahead of crunch negotiations on Tuesday.

Hundreds of angry dairy farmers, demanding higher milk prices, on Monday vowed to continue their week-long blockade at the Lactalis headquarters in northwestern France.

Farmers also began a nationwide protest at sites forming part of the supply chain of the family-run dairy giant around the country. On Monday evening, protesters gathered at 18 processing plants, warehouses and supermarkets, according to leading French farmers’ union FNSEA.

Lactalis had agreed to renegotiate the price paid to suppliers last week after farmers occupied an intersection near the headquarters of Lactalis in the western French city of Laval. A glut in milk supplies and diving dairy prices are forcing French farms to sell below cost with producers blaming the company for paying less than competitors.

“We’re wondering if Lactalis is really committed to working this out,” Florent Renaudier of the FDSEA union told Reuters.

Full Content: France 24

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