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Status: December 29, 2020 2:26 pm
Farmers have been blocking an Aldi warehouse in Hesel (Leer district) with tractors since Sunday. Now they are letting the trucks through again: Aldi has reached out to the farmers.
The company has promised to hold a meeting with farmers, as well as representatives of politics and food retail in early January. This was announced by the farmers’ negotiator. The blockade was therefore loosened: 18 trucks with fresh produce such as fruits, meat and vegetables were able to leave the Aldi site in Hesel.
Otte-Kinast: appointment scheduled for January
Agriculture Minister Otte-Kinast has expressed his understanding for farmers. (File image)
Regardless of this, a video conference with retailers, processors and farmers was arranged a few weeks ago for January 13, as announced by the Lower Saxony Minister of Agriculture, Barbara Otte-Kinast (CDU). “Then it comes to strategies for vegetables, milk and meat. I take the concerns of farmers seriously, but the policy does not set prices,” the minister said. “I can understand the anger and rage of farmers. I would like to direct this energy in the right direction. To find solutions, all market partners have to come to a table. We need long-term strategies,” demanded Otte-Kinast.
Night actions with fire barrels and blankets.
Meanwhile, protests by farmers have spread to various regions. In Rinteln (Schaumburg district), Salzgitter and Weyhe (Diepholz district) there are actions against Aldi, and farmers also met in Lingen (Emsland district) on Monday. “At the top there were 80 tractors,” said a police spokesman. Around 3 o’clock it was still around 60. “Many carry barrels of fire and blankets and are preparing for a prolonged blockade,” he said.
Manure heap in front of the Aldi branch near Stade
Strangers threw around ten cubic meters of manure in front of an Aldi branch.
Meanwhile, the protest has also taken other forms: in front of the Aldi branch in Himmelpforten (Stade district), strangers deposited a large pile of manure at night. The police said about ten cubic meters of manure. “So far there are no references to the polluter. The action is likely related to farmers’ protest against Aldi’s pricing policy in the food sector,” said a statement. Investigations have been launched into an administrative offense in the field of waste disposal; officials are looking for witnesses. The manure pile has now been removed.
Farmers: Prices lower than usual
With the current protest campaigns, farmers specifically oppose a reduction in butter prices. According to Anthony Lee, spokesman for the “Land Creates Connection” movement, Aldi Nord plans to reduce the price by up to 60 cents per kilogram. However, at the end of the year it is only usual to lower it from 10 to 20 cents. For affected farmers, it is about mere existence, the spokesperson warned: even now, some can no longer afford to feed their animals.
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Aldi: fluctuations in butter prices are completely normal
However, according to the company, Aldi does not act differently than usual: “The prices we pay depend on supply and demand across the market, influenced by many other factors,” said a spokesman. Butter prices rising and then falling again due to high demand at Christmas is completely normal and the same every year. “This principle is also basically reflected in the dairy offers, as they are presented to all dealers at this time of year,” the spokesperson continued. The company does not comment on the details of the ongoing price negotiations.
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