Milk price conflict: NÖM and SPAR-who prevails?

Milk price conflict: NÖM and SPAR-who prevails?

Niederösterreich, Österreich - The heated dispute between the Lower Austrian dairy (NÖM) and the SPAR supermarket chain is peaking up. The reason for this is demands of the dairy farmers of the Lower Austria Milk Cooperative (MGN) after a price increase of ten percent in order to cover increased production costs. While the NÖM insists on compliance with this price increase, SPAR has stopped ordering from NÖM products for your own brands and relies on alternatives such as highland milk, such as 5min.at reported . In the meantime, the NÖM is calm: its export quota of 60 percent enables the lack of deliveries to SPAR to other markets such as Italy, in particular for yogurt and yoghurt drinks.

The negotiations have been stuck; MGN boss Leopold Gruber-Doberer emphasizes that the delivery stop to Spar will be maintained until an agreement in the price negotiations. SPAR, on the other hand, demands a differentiated price adjustment from the NÖM, which should only be limited to products such as butter and cheese, not to the entire range. "We cannot accept a general increase in price in dairy products," explains Spar spokeswoman Nicole Berkmann, such as The press reported . The drastic price increases for milk that had recently decreased lead to a tense market in which the dairies are faced with rising wages and costs for packaging and services.

political support for the farmers

The Lower Austrian Farmers' Association has now switched on to support the interests of dairy farmers. Director Paul Nemecek checks possible legal steps against the measures of SPAR, while ÖVP National Councilor Johannes Schmuckenschlager explains his solidarity with the farmers: "Our dairy farmers deliver the highest quality and do great work 365 days a year! That deserves more appreciation." Negotiations between Spar and NÖM are to be continued in the next few days, but the fronts are still hardened.