Farmers will take action in 4 places tomorrow, major traffic disruption expected

The price negotiations have been very difficult so far and the time is running out for farmers to reach an agreement if they want to start their cultivation.

Traffic disruption expected

The promotion will be spread over various locations, all in the south of West Flanders, where many large frozen players (Ardo, Pasfrost, Dicogel, Greenyard,…) are located. “About a hundred tractors would go on site per location,” expects Danny Metsu, ABS chairman in Ypres. Traffic disruption is expected. The police of the Arro Ypres zone warns about this. (read more under the warning from the police)

“The willingness to take action is really great, the frustration among our farmers is deep.” The tractor campaign may hinder the companies’ operations, he admits, “but if it doesn’t work out at the negotiating table, this is our only way”.

Income does not cover costs

The annual contract negotiations for industrial vegetables are always on the schedule in December and January. The aim is to arrive at a price that pleases both the grower and the buyer. But this year, the negotiations are “anything but good”, ABS says. After all, the growers are faced with greatly increased costs – partly due to the higher prices for energy and fertilizers – and want to see these passed on to the customer. But the frozen food giants would only want to accommodate to a limited extent. “All calculations show that a cost price increase of between 10 and 21 percent is expected, depending on the cultivation,” it says at the agricultural organization. Initially, the buyers only wanted to pay 3 percent more, with peaks of 5 percent for some crops. “That is below average, because it does not even cover the costs”, according to ABS, which demands “more respect and a fair income” for the farmer.

Metsu warns that this conflict could even lead to shortages. “The prices for maize and grain are good at the moment, for many growers the choice is then made quickly,” it sounds.