Paris (AFP)

Beef stakeholders, breeders, industrialists and distributors, met Tuesday afternoon by the Minister of Agriculture, Didier Guillaume, to try to put an end to the fall in the prices paid to farmers, announced Mr. Guillaume .

"This afternoon, I bring together the entire interprofession, from producers to distribution, to see why this price continues to drop among breeders," said the minister on the antenna of Sud-Radio.

Due to the confinement, and the postponement of meals from collective catering to home consumption, "the purchase of fresh hamburger has increased by 35%, and the purchase of frozen hamburger by 55%," recalled the Minister, without the farmer collecting the fruits.

Farmers have been asking the minister for weeks to establish a minimum price that would cover the cost of production for farmers, far in excess of the money they receive from buyers for industry and mass distribution.

Last week, according to the national bovine federation (FNB), which called the breeders to start a showdown and to keep their animals, the price paid per kilo of carcass was 1.33 euro lower than the production costs of the breeders , contrary to what the Food law provides.

The latter "does not work enough, there is a problem", recognized Mr. Guillaume, who indicates at the same time that "it is not for the State to fix the prices", at the risk of making " the illegal agreement ".

"When you eat only ground beef or a lot of ground beef, the valuation of the carcass cost is not the same, and it is true that the ground beef is not valued in the same way as a rib of beef, a rib steak, a filet ", underlined Mr. Guillaume as the beginning of the explanation.

"The evolution of consumption, already at work before the crisis linked to the Covid, shows it: the share of minced steak in the valuation of a carcass is accelerating, to today amount to 70%. Better assessing the share of the price paid by the consumer on the ground beef that goes to the farmer therefore becomes a major issue, "said the ministry in a statement.

During the meeting in the ministry, the participants must look under a magnifying glass a study carried out by the inter-professional association Interbev on the construction of the price: "we will see where there are holes in the racket", promised the minister.

© 2020 AFP