2,4 percent plus in 2003 - supermarkets hold their own

The EDEKA Group can close the 2003 financial year with a significant improvement in sales and earnings. In a market that was stagnating overall, the Group's sales in Germany and abroad, reported for the first time on a net basis, rose by 2,4 percent to EUR 31,27 billion, according to preliminary figures. This includes the revenues of the Bielefeld subsidiary AVA AG and sales with cooperation partners such as the St. Wendeler Globus Group.

EDEKA's own business in Germany developed positively. Compared to the previous year, the EDEKA Group's sales rose by 2,9 percent to EUR 24,6 billion. "We successfully asserted ourselves in a tough competitive environment," says Alfons Frenk, CEO of EDEKA Zentrale AG. The result has improved by around 20 percent thanks to cost reductions and better purchasing conditions. For comparison: in the previous year earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were 1,5 percent.

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Seminar in Hanover on risks in food of animal origin

Food of animal origin forms an essential and varied part of human nutrition. However, if they are spoiled, burdened with harmful residues or contaminated with pathogens, they can pose a significant risk to human health. Current examples such as avian flu and BSE point to the dangers of infectious agents that are transmitted by animals.

We cordially invite you to a seminar of the WHO Collaborating Center VPH at the TiHo, which sheds light on the dangers in food for humans:

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Open days, participation in public festivals, competitions, exhibitions, information events, cooperation with associations or much more - throughout Germany numerous guilds, but also individual butcher shops, are constantly developing new good ideas to successfully draw attention to the achievements of the butcher's trade close. In order to promote such a commitment, to highlight the best measures in particular and to motivate as many guilds as possible to conduct active public relations work, the Rudolf Kunze PR Prize was launched, which was awarded for the first time this year by the butcher's trade association will.

The endowment of this prize for particularly outstanding initiatives in the field of public relations by butchers' guilds amounts to a total of 3.000 euros. The amount is staggered in three prices of 1.500, 1.000 and 500 euros.
In addition, the "afz - general butcher newspaper" is once again donating a special price for exemplary PR measures by butcher shops. This award is endowed with 500 euros.

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Per capita consumption also increased

EU production of pork in 2003 was again higher than before. Production in the 15 member states grew by 0,6 percent to 17,9 million tons and thus reached the second-highest level since 1999. The level of self-sufficiency in the EU nonetheless fell in 2003 by one percentage point to 108 percent.

Because the increased meat production was offset by growing demand. The mostly low prices for pork and the good barbecue weather last summer caused, according to preliminary estimates, an increase in consumption of a good one percent to around 16,6 million tons. From these figures, an average consumption per EU citizen of 43,8 kilograms can be calculated, which is 400 grams more than in 2002. Danish and German consumers in particular consumed pork more often.

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In view of the high losses in the poultry industry of the equivalent of an estimated 76 million euros last year, the Hungarian poultry product council wants to campaign for a voluntary 40 percent cut in the production of goose and duck meat. As early as 2002, the industry had reduced its own goose and duck meat production by 20 percent.

In order to be able to comply with the self-imposed production limit, the goose population in Hungary is to be reduced to 3,3 million animals. This is to be achieved solely through the withdrawal of companies due to the persistently difficult market situation, in particular the largest Hungarian goose and duck meat producer and its integrated fattening companies. Product quotas are to be distributed to the processing companies; if these are exceeded, the Product Council intends to impose a fine of 7,60 euros per kilogram of goose meat.

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Last year's level in the Netherlands but missed

 The chicken slaughter in the Netherlands 2003 had fallen sharply against the background of avian influenza in the spring. In May, the corresponding level of the previous year was most clearly missed with minus 48 percent. Even in the summer months, the slaughter was clearly below the level 2002. Since August, the slaughter activities have gradually recovered. In the period October / November they were "only" eleven percent below the previous year's result. In the first eleven months 2003 together, deliveries of chicken to Dutch slaughterhouses amounted to 650.200 tons of live weight, which was 23 percent less than in the same period last year.

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"Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is prepared for an emergency"

Minister of Agriculture Till Backhaus (SPD) urges all poultry farmers in the country to strictly comply with the epidemic hygiene measures. "With the start of the bird flight, all businesses and even small animal owners are urged to reduce the personal and animal traffic in the facilities as a precaution to the bare minimum," says Minister Backhaus. All pet owners have already been informed about the associations in recent days.

In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, all veterinary and food monitoring offices (VLÄ), the State Veterinary and Food Sub-national Office as well as the Pomellen, Mukran and Rostock border inspection posts are informed about the import ban of the European Commission. Thereafter, both commercial and private imports of birds of all species from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, China including Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam are prohibited. The import ban also applies to poultry products such as poultry meat, brood and shellfish, raw material, untreated fodder containing poultry, unmanaged hunting trophies and untreated feathers of all birds. The protective measures are initially valid until the 15. August 2004. In addition, poultry meat processing establishments are only allowed to accept shipments of poultry meat, which preceded the 1. January 2004 was slaughtered.

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Sonnleitner encourages further precautionary measures

Gerd Sonnleitner, president of the German Farmers' Association (DBV), has voiced concern to EU consumer minister David Byrne, Federal Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Federal Minister of Agriculture Renate Künast about the spread of bird flu in Asia. Under no circumstances should the viral disease be underestimated, Sonnleitner emphasized in a letter. It must be prevented at all costs that this virus spreads in the European internal market and in Germany. Sonnleitner called on the EU Commission and the Federal Government to check that all imports of agricultural products, including processed products, in particular poultry meat, are still acceptable. Even though the import of a large proportion of poultry meat is banned, the import of 70-heated poultry meat products to the European and German markets will continue.

In addition, Sonnleitner suggested including tourism in these precautionary measures. The DBV strongly supports the appeal by the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture to encourage travelers to affected Asian countries to take appropriate protective measures and avoid contact with poultry farms and marketing facilities. Sonnleitner suggested that precautionary measures be taken, such as hygiene locks when entering and leaving the aircraft.

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Germany remained the main customer

France exported 2003 in the first three quarters according to national figures around 443.200 tonnes of poultry meat. That was five percent less than in the same period last year. Within the EU, French exporters with 188.530 tonnes sold just as much poultry as in the previous year. Shipments to the German market, however, fell by twelve percent to almost 43.600 tonnes. Nevertheless, Germany remained the main buyer within the EU. The sharp drop in exports to Germany and also to Great Britain compensated for the French by higher deliveries to other Member States.

From January to September, French poultry meat exports to third countries fell 2003 by nine percent to around 254.650 tonnes. Of these, the Middle East with 118.100 tonnes picked up six percent less, even though Saudi Arabia drew around 14 percent more poultry from France and retook its position as the main buyer. Shipments to Russia shrank by a third to even 48.900 tons.

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Livestock and Meat

In the meat wholesale markets, the expected demand for beef remained unfulfilled. The interest was often very weak, and it was much less marketed than before. The selling prices for beef changed but hardly. On the butcher's shelf again a smaller number of young bulls was for sale. The slaughter companies therefore made intensive efforts to obtain male slaughter cattle and put their pay-out prices all the way up. The surcharges in the south of Germany were more pronounced than in the northwest. Prices for slaughter cows and heifers remained stable to firm with limited supply; however, the surcharges were within narrow limits. The federal aid for slaughter cows of the class O3 increased by three cents to 1,53 euros per kilogram slaughter weight; the average price for young bulls R3 increased by five cents to 2,47 euros per kilogram. The mail order of beef to neighboring countries often allowed slightly higher prices to prevail; Greece in particular was noticeably more receptive. - In the coming week, the wholesale bid should continue to be just barely adequate. Although slaughtering has recently been reduced, stable to fixed prices for slaughter cattle are to be expected. - The veal marketing in the wholesale was usually quiet, sometimes prices continued to decline. Also for slaughter calves the offerers got seasonally a little less. The federal funds for lump-sum billed animals held up just before the previous week level of 4,38 euros per kilogram slaughter weight. - The quotations for calf-calves developed unevenly.

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Initiative for active consumer protection

On the 5. February 2004 in Berlin on the occasion of the Fruit Logistica the starting signal for the fruit and vegetables product segment fell in the QS system. "The first fruit and vegetables with QS certification will be on the market in the middle of 2004," says the Managing Director of QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH, Dr. Ing. Hermann Josef Nienhoff. In the QS Fresh Fruit and Vegetables system, every company is committed to documenting its operations and ensuring traceability. Regular operational and product controls at all stages from the field to the fresh food counter ensure a high degree of transparency and food safety for the consumer.

The QS principles therefore also apply to the fruit and vegetables product area:

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