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http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKTRE4AC4ZM20081113?feedType=nl&feedName=ukmorningdigest
French sheep breeders take flocks to Eiffel Tower
Sheep are herded at the Eiffel Tower during a demonstration by stockbreeders in Paris November 13, 2008.
REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
By Sybille de La Hamaide
PARIS (Reuters) - Several hundred French breeders brought sheep to graze near the Eiffel Tower on Thursday to protest what they say is insufficient aid to help revive a sector endangered by surging costs and low selling prices.
Sheep farmers say a 250-million-euro (211 million pounds) government plan unveiled on Wednesday to boost falling farm income, including 50 million euros for sheep breeders, did not go far enough.
"It's a first step, but it doesn't meet our needs," Serge Preveraud, president of French sheep breeders union FNO, told Reuters above the peal of mountain bells.
Between 700 and 800 breeders were at the protest, bringing with them just over 100 sheep.
Like other farmers, sheep breeders said they were being squeezed by rising costs for fertilisers, feed and fuel, and increased pressure from retailers to sell at lower prices.
Nicolas Fanjat, a 27-year-old farmer dressed in a black shepherd's cloak, said breeders were in a critical situation.
"We have a hard time making ends meet. Revenue isn't coming in anymore and costs like fuel have surged," he said, adding that he sold his lamb at 5 euros per kg when it cost him 8 and it was later sold at more than 15 euros in supermarkets.
France's farm ministry said sheep breeders' incomes, which fell by 32 percent last year, would shed 15 percent in 2008, mainly linked to the rise in animal feed and high energy costs.
The ministry pegged price rises in 2008 of 30 percent for oil products, 25 percent for fertilizers and 15 percent for animal feed. At the same time lamb prices paid to producers was stable as they faced tough competition from massive imports.
"We now live below the poverty line," said Jean-Baptiste Seib, a 24-year-old breeder with 600 sheep.
"If we are not heard, tomorrow there will be no sheep left."
Official data shows that French sheep breeders earn around 8,000 euros a year on average.
The French government already introduced emergency support measures for sheep breeders worth 17 million this year as well as 15 million euros in 2007.
But many breeders said that beyond the French measures what was needed was a substantial rise in subsidies granted under the European Union's farm policy, which is currently being revised.
France receives about 10 billion euros in European aid each year but sheep breeders say they get fewer payments than other farm sectors, notably cattle.
French sheep breeders take flocks to Eiffel Tower
Sheep are herded at the Eiffel Tower during a demonstration by stockbreeders in Paris November 13, 2008.
REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
By Sybille de La Hamaide
PARIS (Reuters) - Several hundred French breeders brought sheep to graze near the Eiffel Tower on Thursday to protest what they say is insufficient aid to help revive a sector endangered by surging costs and low selling prices.
Sheep farmers say a 250-million-euro (211 million pounds) government plan unveiled on Wednesday to boost falling farm income, including 50 million euros for sheep breeders, did not go far enough.
"It's a first step, but it doesn't meet our needs," Serge Preveraud, president of French sheep breeders union FNO, told Reuters above the peal of mountain bells.
Between 700 and 800 breeders were at the protest, bringing with them just over 100 sheep.
Like other farmers, sheep breeders said they were being squeezed by rising costs for fertilisers, feed and fuel, and increased pressure from retailers to sell at lower prices.
Nicolas Fanjat, a 27-year-old farmer dressed in a black shepherd's cloak, said breeders were in a critical situation.
"We have a hard time making ends meet. Revenue isn't coming in anymore and costs like fuel have surged," he said, adding that he sold his lamb at 5 euros per kg when it cost him 8 and it was later sold at more than 15 euros in supermarkets.
France's farm ministry said sheep breeders' incomes, which fell by 32 percent last year, would shed 15 percent in 2008, mainly linked to the rise in animal feed and high energy costs.
The ministry pegged price rises in 2008 of 30 percent for oil products, 25 percent for fertilizers and 15 percent for animal feed. At the same time lamb prices paid to producers was stable as they faced tough competition from massive imports.
"We now live below the poverty line," said Jean-Baptiste Seib, a 24-year-old breeder with 600 sheep.
"If we are not heard, tomorrow there will be no sheep left."
Official data shows that French sheep breeders earn around 8,000 euros a year on average.
The French government already introduced emergency support measures for sheep breeders worth 17 million this year as well as 15 million euros in 2007.
But many breeders said that beyond the French measures what was needed was a substantial rise in subsidies granted under the European Union's farm policy, which is currently being revised.
France receives about 10 billion euros in European aid each year but sheep breeders say they get fewer payments than other farm sectors, notably cattle.
