Brussels, 04/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - In Belgium, too, there exists a significant gap between the prices paid to producers and the real cost of production, as a study published by the European Milk Board (EMB) on Wednesday 4 March makes clear.
Similar studies have looked at the situations in the milk markets in Germany, France and the Netherlands. The figures clearly show the gap between the costs of production and the prices paid to farmers for their product. “This makes it very difficult to guarantee dairy farmers a fair standard of living - which is a manifest aim of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)”, states the EMB in a press release.
The study shows that to cover the costs of milk production with a fair revenue, the farm-gate price must be 46 cents per kilo of milk. In December 2014, Belgian dairy farmers received an average of 31.15 cents per kilo of milk. Hence the gap to be made up is 14.85 cents a kilo. “Milk production does not guarantee Belgian dairy farmers a fair income”, the EMB declares. The full scientific study is available on the EMB website: http://www.europeanmilkboard.org (Lionel Changeur)