Farmers of Salzburg demand an increase of the milk price by five percent. They refuse to lose in comparison to dairies and retailers. However, retailers refer to the dairies.
Imagine a typical farm in Flachgau, Salzburg: 26 milk cows produce organic pasture milk. The farmer earns 49 percent per litre of this high-quality milk. As this is not enough in order to survive, many farmers need a side job.
Additionally, it would be necessary to increase the milk price by at least five percent per litre. This is equivalent with an increase of ten percent.
The official representatives of the famers in the Salzburg Chamber of Agriculture state that they would be pleased with a lower percentage. The most important point is that the difference between the general price increase and the increase of milk prices shrinks.
«In the last few years, the standard wage index has increased more in comparison to the food price index. This is why it would be justified to increase the milk prices, too», said Franz EíŸl, president of the Chamber of Agriculture.
The food retailer Spar refuses the request of passing on a part of their margin to milk farmers.
Nicole Berkmann, spokesperson of Spar, stated that the current milk consumer prices are too low in order to earn something. Spar suggested that Austrian dairies should follow the example of Bavarian dairies.
Although Bavarian dairies pay their farmers more, the milk turns out to be cheaper in the shops.
Alpenmilch Salzburg countered that the milk collection was more complicated in Salzburg due to smaller farms and more expensive than in Germany.
Source: Australian Times