13 August 2008 – Two French milk producers' associations have expressed their outrage at an arbitrary 6% price cut imposed by cheesemaker Entremont, local media report.
“Entremont plans to pay producers a mere 310 euro per 1,000 litres, instead of 330 euros as previously agreed, this is unacceptable,” Gilles Pslamon of the French milk producers' association FNPL was quoted as saying.
Farmers condemned the price cut, which comes as they struggle with an unprecedented rise in production costs.
Entremont, a subsidiary of French co-op Unicopa, is the first company to take advantage of the deregulation of the French milk market, which came into force in May 2008. Prices were previously decided collectively by producers, cooperatives and processors.