Breast meat prices are coming under pressure

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Earnings in the conventional area declined sharply

Organic farmers were able to almost maintain their operating result in the 2002/03 financial year. In contrast, the results of the conventionally managed comparison group fell significantly. This is the result of a study by the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, which was presented in the 2004 Agricultural Report. For the fourth time in a row, a comparison between conventional and ecological farming will be presented. The companies examined are a selection of slightly more than 700 companies that are approximately comparable in structure and size. They cultivate almost 100 hectares each. Performance and costs very different

As expected, the company's performance differs quite strongly. At 34 quintals per hectare, the wheat yields from organic farming are more than 40 percent below “normal” cultivation. The situation is similar with potatoes; Here too, at 173 quintals per hectare, a lower yield of more than 40 percent was determined. The milk yield in organic farms reaches an average of 85 percent of conventional farms.

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FOUR PAWS appeals to politicians to "transport" this demand to EU member states who think differently

 Eight hours of animal transport is enough. In order to emphasize this demand also at the EU level, FOUR PAWS, as one of the large animal welfare organizations in Germany, appeals to political decision-makers to do some persuasion among their foreign counterparts. This appeal is sent to the politicians in a toy animal transporter. It bears the inscription: "Eight hours of animal transport are enough. Please transport this message."

   Every year 360 million animals are transported across Europe, mostly under catastrophic conditions and without time limits. In the current legislative process in the EU, at least an improvement in these conditions is possible. The current draft of the EU animal transport regulation provides for an interval regulation, which ultimately allows unlimited transport times for the animals (nine hours drive - twelve hours break - nine hours drive - twelve hours break, etc., etc.). The federal government also considers this draft to be inadequate and votes in favor of the eight-hour limit. This regulation will be voted on in the European Parliament at the end of March.

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Germany boss Hafner expects positive operative cash flow and return on investment for the first time in 2004

According to statements by Wal-Mart Germany boss Kay Hafner, the discount battles in the German retail sector have significantly improved Wal-Mart's position. "Our philosophy of not taking part in one-off discounts and bonus battles and instead rewarding regular customers with a permanently inexpensive range of goods has paid off," said Hafner on Thursday, February 20th at the corporate headquarters in Wuppertal. "Our strategy of offering a wide range of goods at low prices over the long term will also be reflected in an improved operating result this year. Wal-Mart Germany will achieve a positive return on investment and a positive operating cash flow for the first time in 2004."

"Consumers increasingly find the constant special promotions and special prices annoying and are met with increased rejection," said Hafner, citing internal customer surveys, according to which "consumers find it inconvenient to have to go to numerous shops for individual bargains". Consumers consider a wide range of products to be inexpensive over the long term to be significantly more important and more customer-friendly. "That is why Wal-Mart will continue to pass on improvements in logistics and when purchasing goods to customers in the future," said Hafner. The magazine "stern" had recently reported similar results.

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Appeal to the federal government not to overdo it nationally

The President of the German Farmers' Association (DBV), Gerd Sonnleitner, assessed the appointment of New Zealander Timothy Groser as the new Chairman of the Agriculture Committee of the World Trade Conference with a certain hope, but also with concern. Groser succeeds Stuart Harbinson. At the farmers' day in Schwäbisch-Hall / Hohenlohe, Sonnleitner explained that the New Zealanders, as members of the Cairns group, which advocates more free trade, are more moderate than the Australians. Nevertheless, he fears that the WTO agricultural negotiations would almost exclusively focus again on the classic trade issues of market access, internal support and export aid. Therefore everything has to be done so that the convincing concept of the European agricultural model of multifunctional agriculture "does not fade in the agricultural negotiations".

In the previous WTO negotiations, German and European farmers and European society in particular lacked statements on how the standards in animal, nature and environmental protection as well as food safety in world trade could be safeguarded, emphasized Sonnleitner. German agriculture has an existential interest in such anchoring. The DBV President therefore again called on the Federal Government and the governing coalitions that support it to forcefully demand this in the WTO negotiations on the European Commission. After all, German farmers earn 60 percent of their income from keeping animals. Including the upstream and downstream economic sectors, animal husbandry in the agriculture and food industry ensures around 2,5 million jobs and accounts for around 4 percent of gross value added. If the high standards in animal husbandry and environmental protection introduced in recent years were not safeguarded at the international level by the WTO, the incomes and livelihoods of local agriculture would be endangered.

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BioFach 2004 in Nuremberg in difficult times

Organic food is trendy, especially if it doesn't differ too much from conventional products in terms of price. However, this leads to considerable market and income worries among organic farmers. Without an average of 10.000 euros more funding, the income of organic farmers would have plummeted in the past financial year. In addition to expanding the product range and enlarging the sales area, the organic sector is increasingly relying on professional and creative marketing. The food retail trade is becoming more and more important for the marketing of organic products. Own brands as well as products from natural food manufacturers and organic variants from conventional brand manufacturers are offered. This was declared by the German Farmers' Association (DBV) at BioFach 2004 in Nuremberg (February 19 to 22.2.2004, 2004). The marketing company of the German agricultural industry CMA will be represented with a joint stand at BioFach XNUMX, as will the DBV Ecological Agriculture Committee, which deals with the promotion of organic farming and the developments in the markets.

The economic downturn in 2003 did not stop at the organic food sector, the DBV notes. For example, sales of organic milk and organic dairy products fell slightly in the past year. Consumers increasingly bought price-consciously from discounters. But because of the higher expenses, higher prices are necessary, for organic farmers, dairies and marketers of organic milk. The necessary price level could not be achieved in 2003. As with conventional dairy farmers, 2003 was a black year for organic milk producers. The base price, which is based on the conventional milk price, fell within nine months by over 6 percent per liter to 27 cents. The dairies, which had to contend with increased costs for energy, transport and logistics in 2003, then lowered the prices paid to the producers, since price increases were supposedly impossible to enforce on the market. The competition for market share caused some dairies to constantly undercut each other in the food retail sector. This development was entirely at the expense of organic milk producers. The declining demand for organic milk also forced organic farmers to market this, in some cases, at even lower prices than conventionally produced milk. If the situation for the dairy farmers does not change quickly, the DBV fears that a number of organic dairy farmers will switch their production back to conventional production. If price pressure continues, structural change in German milk production is likely to increase overall.

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Farmers' Association criticizes the expansion of the term "animal disease"

The German Farmers' Association (DBV) welcomed the amendment of the Animal Disease Act approved by the Federal Cabinet in principle. Improved federal and state authorizations can enable highly contagious animal diseases to be combated more efficiently.

However, the DBV takes a critical view of the excessive expansion of the definition of the term animal diseases. According to the amendment, pathogens and diseases are also defined as animal diseases that can occur in animals but can also be transmitted to humans in other ways, so-called zoonoses. Without trivializing the spread of zoonoses such as salmonella and the risk to consumers or restricting their effective control, the DBV points out that many zoonoses are not only restricted to animal populations, but can also be spread via the processing industry or the household, for example . Salmonella can spread not only through animal husbandry, but also through food production. It would therefore be ignoring the causes if, when salmonella occurs, as the amendment provides, all measures to combat an animal disease were taken, for example the livestock of a farm from which the food comes was killed.

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Europe-wide protection for regional specialties

The Wolf Group is the only German manufacturer to offer both "Nürnberger Rostbratwürste" (already under EU protection since 07/2003) and "Thuringian Rostbratwürste", "Thuringian liver sausage" and "Thuringian red sausage" (under EU protection since 12/2003) Releases. Really good, because they are really original Thuringian Rostbratwurst from Wolf

Finally, the Thuringian Rostbratwurst is actually from Thuringia and precisely written down in its recipe and production. Because the "counterfeit" originals have now been put a stop from the highest authority: The EU Commission has with the entry of description and geographical area in accordance with Article 6 Paragraph 2 of the Regulation (EEC) for the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and food the Thuringian grilled sausage, the Thuringian liver sausage and the Thuringian red sausage placed under protection of origin. In addition to the Nuremberg sausages, the Thuringian roast sausages are now protected as a regional specialty throughout Europe. According to the current regulations, these Thuringian specialties can only be produced by those who actually have their production at the Thuringian location according to protected recipes.

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With the Olympic competition from Wolf to Athens for the summer games

2004 is all about the Olympic Summer Games, which this year will return to their homeland in Athens. The place that marked the rebirth of Olympia at the end of the 19th century, one and a half millennia after the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned this "pagan festival of the Hellenes" after the 292nd Olympiad in AD 393. In 1896 the time had finally come again: King George I of Greece opened the resumption of the Olympic Games with the words: 'I declare the games of the first Olympiad of the new era open!'

For the Wolf company, the specialists in really good sausage from Bavaria and Thuringia, an excellent occasion for an Olympic consumer competition that also fits perfectly in the sporting spirit. After all, Wolf always achieves top performance in culinary terms, which is proven by the impressive number of medals and awards for top quality.

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First congress for decision-makers from the NRW food industry on March 26th and 27th at the University of Witten/Herdecke

North Rhine-Westphalia has a large number of specialties and brews the best beers in Germany. While the Bavarians have long cultivated wheat beer and white sausage as a trademark and export hit, the regional specialties in the state between the Rhine and Ruhr are in danger of sinking into oblivion. "An absurdity," says Dr. Hermann van Bömmel from the German Competence Center for Sustainable Management at the University of Witten/Herdecke.

The apparent lack of regional culinary awareness led to the birth of the project "nrw tischt auf" in cooperation with the "Food Processing Initiative". This is now entering the second stage with the specialist congress. The forerunner in November 2003 was a great success: over 1000 visitors came to the Witten/Herdecke University for the 'Witten tischt auf' banquet in order to experience the culinary tradition of the town on the Ruhr. Witten students had collected over 300 typical recipes and submitted them as part of a competition.

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A little more demand

In the coming month, business on the German agricultural markets will be largely normal. Compared to February, when sales were partially slowed down by carnival and Mardi Gras, demand will often increase, also in view of Easter in April. At the meat markets, the higher-quality cuts are becoming the focus of interest. Fixed prices can be expected for young bulls, calves for slaughter and lambs, and the proceeds for slaughter cows and pigs should at least remain stable. Poultry meat sales are steady, eggs are firmly valued as demand gradually picks up. Sales of dairy products are increasing slightly, but prices are changing little. The small range of old-crop ware potatoes is supplemented by extensive supplies of early potatoes; the prices for the different origins and qualities develop differently. As the season progresses, the range of fruit and vegetables gradually becomes more varied. Predominantly fixed slaughter cattle prices

The supply of young bulls is expected to increase in March, but will probably remain smaller than in previous years. Sales should run smoothly, especially since the slaughterhouses are already stocking up on more precious cuts for the Easter holidays. The producer prices for young bulls are therefore rising somewhat, but after the sometimes sharp increases in February, further increases should be limited. This means that the prices in the R3 class are almost 20 cents per kilogram lower than a year ago.

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