Pig producers protest in Brittany

Over 60 pig producers attended the bi-weekly auction of Marché du Porc Breton in Plérin, Brittany, France on Thursday to protest against the constant fall of the pig prices in France and in the rest of Europe.

At the session, the average price at €1,210 was again almost €3 lower than Monday’s auction. The Marché du Porc Breton MPB is seen as a trendsetter for French pig prices.

The farmers had heated debates with representatives of slaughterhouses and meat companies who buy their animals at the MPB. After the unfriendly visit to the auction house, farmers went to a local supermarket chain Leclerc, regarded as a discount shop in France, to vent their anger.

They are also angry with the French producers of cook meats and other meat products, like Herta, because the companies do not want to guarantee only using French meat. The farmers are threatening to stop meat lorries in order to check if the load is from France.

The pig producers also demanded that their union leaders step up the demonstrations and other actions. Earlier, they asked both the government in Paris and the European Parliament for more support in order to compensate for the effects of the Russian embargo on European pork and pork products.