A tide agent from the Quiberon auction, April 03, 2020. – Maxime Le Pihif / SIPA
The fishing and
aquaculture
Britain expressed their anger on Monday, faced with the behavior of “certain brands of the
supermarket chains ”which, they claim, through“ massive imports ”of seafood products caused prices to fall.
“The courses held up well at the start of the containment, knowing that a good part of the fleet was stopped,” observes Olivier Le Nezet, president of Breizhmer (association of stakeholders in fishery and aquaculture products from Brittany) and the regional maritime fisheries committee of Brittany, cited in a press release. “But for the past few days, massive imports have lowered prices, jeopardizing the recovery of the other ships that have been docked since March,” he denounces.
“The consumer pays the same price”
These imports “lead the way” according to Breizhmer, “however the consumer always pays the same price at the market”. “A whiting sold for 40 euro cents per kilo under the Saint Quay-Portrieux auction (Côtes-d’Armor) will be paid 13 euros by the customer of a large brand located a few kilometers from the port. Inadmissible in the context of France ”, underline the Breton fishermen and fishmongers.
According to Breizhmer, “some supermarket chains have given in to the old profit demons while they continue to show their support for French producers”.
In shellfish farming, “the observation is the same”. “Breton producers and their professional structures regret a drop in purchase prices by supermarkets and hypermarkets from their suppliers while the drop in sales volumes does not justify it,” adds Breizhmer.
“It is not bearable”
“The sale of products of other origins, like Ireland, while the French and Breton product is available in quantity on the whole of the basins is not bearable”, continues Breizhmer. And “it is also untenable to attend promotional activities on oysters in this period of crisis,” said Sylvain Cornée, 1st vice-president of the shellfish regional committee of Brittany-North.
“It is indeed a very sensitive subject. There has been a resumption of imports since last week, especially Scottish fish at unbeatable prices, “the National Fisheries Committee told AFP. This phenomenon affected “the gradual recovery that we were implementing,” added the CNPMEM.
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