Prix du Militlactalis expects a "significant increase" of the price paid to milk producers in 2021
"We are quite confident on an increase in the price of milk in 2021," said at a press conference Emmanuel Besnier, the president of the group, who claims the world's place of milk and collects a quarter of milkFrench."For 2021, normally, the price of milk in France should be increasing significantly, it will be drawn by international markets" of raw materials that are butter and milk powder, returned to "levels before Covid",He added at a press conference.
Last year, "I was quite pessimistic" on the price of milk in view of the dive of these same courses at the start of the health crisis, he stressed.He estimated, in early June 2020, that the price paid to breeders was moving towards "an average drop" over the whole year, drawing the anger of the producers."Revolting !!!Had also reacted Guillaume Canet on Instagram, in a message approved thousands of times.The actor had embodied a breeder plunged into the hell of over -indebtedness to suicide, in the film "In the name of the earth".
Finally, the courses were raised, the consumption of milk was maintained and Lactalis paid cow's milk 369 euros per thousand liters on average in 2020 (all qualities combined, organic milk included), against 370 euros in 2019. Lactalis n'did not communicate an estimated estimate for 2021.
Compared to other major French milk industrialists - Sodiaal, Agrial and Savencia - "we are the company that best values milk in France," said Besnier on Tuesday."We are the best-minders and this year we managed to stabilize our prices this year," he insisted.
The price of milk depends on global courses, but also on the negotiations between the industrialist and the large distribution on the price of the products which will be put in the shelves.
Unhappy breeders
On this ground, the discussions were "difficult" and "will not necessarily allow to justify" an additional revaluation of the price of milk, reported Mr. Besnier.
The result of negotiations with the distribution brands will "not be great" but the rebound in international markets "may save us the year", had cautiously estimated in April, with AFP, Jehan Moreau,Director General of the FNIL, the Federation which brings together milk manufacturers.Breeders criticize them for taking time to increase the increase in world prices in their purchasing prices.Especially since the charges of farmers have also increased sharply, in particular the cost of feeding livestock.
"Milk producers are not satisfied with the price paid at the beginning of 2021, far from it," the FNPL, specialized federation of the FNSEA majority union on Tuesday."Industrialists and distributors publish very good results, this is not our case," she writes again.
Emmanuel Besnier was expressed during the presentation of the 2020 results, organized in one of the group's largest dairies, in Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine), which conditions 350 million liters of pasteurized milk per year.Over the year, turnover increased by 5.9 %to 21.1 billion euros.Net profit increased by 34.3 %, to 427 million euros, thus returning almost at the 2018 level, while 2019 had marked a clear decline due to provisions linked to acquisitions.
In 2021, Lactalis plans to complete the absorption of the cheese division of the American giant Kraft Heinz (1.5 billion euros in turnover) as well as the Leerdammer brand, previously held by Bel, once obtained thedownstream of the competition authorities.
Asked to find out if he was tempted as competitors to increase the share of vegetable products in his portfolio, Emmanuel Besnier stressed that Lactalis was not ready to "change jobs according to fashions"."We remain above all dairy people," he said, convinced that dairy products are "much better for health and taste than plant juices".
