The Agromuralla cattlemen's association urges the dairy industry to review upwards the prices set in the current contracts in light of a situation that it qualifies as "catastrophic and exceptional," caused by production costs that "keep rising."
From the organization, they remind that already in July they denounced that the industry "turns a deaf ear to what is happening in the livestock sector and shields itself in that its economic results do not allow it to raise prices," despite what they consider a breach of the food chain law, which prevents formalizing purchases below real costs.
Agromuralla details that the farms are hit, on one hand, by the increase in diesel prices, which is around 25% above the levels prior to the start of the conflict in the Middle East and, on the other, by the combined effects of the heatwave and prolonged drought, which exhaust the pastures and reduce production.
"This is the fish that bites its tail. If the pastures dry up, they have to be bought and this goes directly to increase costs," explains the president of Agromuralla, Noelia Rodríguez. "But also, with the heat, the cows are more apathetic, with production dropping by around 23%. If we followed the law of supply and demand, we should sell our milk for much more," she argues.
"The sector is tired, but it maintains its pulse, do not put us to the test," emphasizes Rodríguez, who also demands that the Consellería do Medio Rural take "action in the matter" in the face of "a violation of the law by the industry that would be pushing farms to abandon the activity."