take two pieces of ham, a kilogram. The one piece costs 49 francs. The other 19.75 francs. The difference is The more expensive piece is organic, the cheaper comes from conventional attitude. It is an example from the meat shelf of retailers, there is illustrated one thing above all: The price differences are considerable. This has made the Swiss animal protection (STS) is suspicious. And because the sale of animal friendly produced meat, organic and label meat such as Natura farm or Terra Suisse has been stagnating for some time, has written of the STS study.
it says that sustainably produced meat is positioned in the market in terms of price unattractive that retailers demand for animal friendly meat products significantly higher prices and those from the conventional meat is artificially low would hold. And, above all, the farmers are not involved proportionally to this market success. “We want to confront and debate trigger,” says Stefan Flückiger, managing Director of the agricultural policy of the STS.
beef Patty
The STS in December 2019 various pieces of meat of anonymous retailers on their value chain is analyzed. For example, the beef Patty. The farmer brings his Biorind to 11.70 Swiss francs/kg to the butcher. The wholesale distributor pays the butcher 23.15 francs/kg for the slaughter and Disassembly of the Biorinds and sold it finally to the customer for 57.50 francs/kg. In comparison, the conventionally-produced beef Patty, the farmer receives 9.50 francs /kg, the wholesale distributor pays the butcher 19.02 Swiss francs/kg and sold it for 34.70 francs/kg.
“34.70 francs, or 57.50 francs – what is the piece of meat the Consumer buys?”, ask Flückiger. A rhetorical question whose answer is familiar with the nutrition psychology. Before the purchase, shelf principles break down often. The spirit of the times may speak for responsible consumption of meat – but decides in the case of most of the price.
Flückiger, the price differences are not found in stores “simply incomprehensible”. He calls it “a distortion of the Market”. A reason for this, he has found in the competition for the conventional meat, cheered on by discount stores like Denner, Aldi, Lidl and Aldi. “We have to fight prices. This is a full-blown Dumping, at the expense of the animals,” he says, and refers to gross margins for conventional products by 12 percent. “That can never rise.”
With the reciprocal offer price difference to the animal rises-friendly produced meat. Flückiger want to reduce about the price differences. He calls one of the retailers for more transparency and would like to on the other hand, that you miss out on low prices and the conventional meat products will become more expensive, in order to make the Label and organic products more attractive. In addition, it is expected from the state, that engages in the agricultural policy, to steer the course.
The devaluation effects
However, there are objective reasons for the price differences. The Manfred Bötsch says he was once a member of the Executive Board of the Migros meat processor Micarna, previously Director of the Federal office for agriculture. Bötsch notes that in the retail trade again and again, meat devaluations would take place, because not everything is animal-friendly produced meat as the label of the product to be sold. It will be devalued and sold as a conventional meat for a lower price. “Unfortunately, this is unavoidable, because pieces of meat such as the tenderloin, are often more in demand than the other,” says Bötsch. to compensate
these write-downs, lifting the retailers the price. Also the price-enhancing effect of higher advertising and promotional expenses for the label programs, as well as quality packaging. “But,” says Bötsch, “and that is a fact and a legitimate one: The retailers want to take advantage of the increased willingness – to-pay for the Label and Biokäufer.”
Bötsch is a discussion about the price differences, it is important to ask whether the way of the Swiss animal protection is the right thing to do. In particular, the idea that the conventional products are more expensive. “If you think the end would increase in the future for the farmers the incentives to produce increasingly conventional,” he says, “this can’t be the target.” Bötsch therefore pleads for patience, because the demand for label products is developing slowly, but continuously. With the increase of the share of the market, the price differences are small, and thus the label products more attractive.
The inroads of the Swiss animal protection has a side story. Preferably he would have gone with the agricultural organisations in the Public, such as IP Suisse, the Terrasuisse products are sourced, and suckler cow Switzerland, which produces the Natura farm-line. However, this is not wanted. You want to lead the discussion with the long-standing partners, the retailers, internally and not publicly. Another Interpretation: you fear the reaction of their customers, and you don’t want to piss off.
Created: 05.03.2020, 19:53 PM
