Milk spraying action – protest against the politically accepted devaluation of food

Date: Sunday, 31 May, 12:00 p.m.
Location: Field opposite of Farm Habbena, Schoonorther Str. 10, 26736 Krummhörn/East Frisia, Germany

The occasion:

On World Milk Day (1 June), the value of milk is celebrated. At the same time, many farms experience every day how this value is being economically destroyed.

The visually powerful action:

Around 20 tractors will be positioned with a joint political message and will then simultaneously spray milk across a field in Krummhörn/East Frisia on a large scale. Afterwards, a rally with participation of European dairy farmers will take place.

The message:

The real waste is not taking place on this particular day - it is happening every single day in a market that systematically devalues high-quality food products.

The background:

The current milk crisis, with billions in losses for dairy farmers, is neither accidental nor the result of individual farm failures. It is the consequence of political decisions - and political inaction.

The proposed solution to this crisis? Responsibility is shifted onto individual farmers. The political response is often: "Then simply produce less." But this demand ignores the economic reality on farms. No farm can afford to put its own economic survival at risk. Dairy farms operate within a system in which they can hardly pass on rising costs. Energy, feed, machinery, construction costs and regulations are increasing - while the milk price paid to producers is largely determined by dairies, retailers and the world market. Individual farms have practically no market power. As a result, many farms are left with only two options in order to survive economically: reduce costs and produce more.

This is exactly how the destructive dynamic of the milk market develops: when prices fall and costs rise, many farms increase production in order to cover fixed costs. But these additional volumes push prices down even further. The result is a vicious circle of overproduction, price pressure and an ever-growing struggle for survival. An individual dairy farm cannot solve the crisis on its own.

If one farm voluntarily produces less, this has practically no impact on the overall market. The reduced volume is immediately compensated by others. The price does not change - but the individual farm loses income and economic substance. This is precisely why the constant political suggestion "Then simply produce less" is so detached from reality. No farm can afford to sacrifice itself alone for a market that would not change at all as a result. The consequence: every individual farm tries to survive economically. But together, this individual behaviour further intensifies the crisis.

This is not a moral failure of individual farmers. It is the logic of a free market in which farmers have an extremely weak market position. Crises in the milk market therefore cannot be solved individually. They require a collective, politically organised approach. Only if volumes are reduced in a temporary and coordinated way can there be any noticeable relief for the market - without individual farms having to bear the burden alone. This is exactly why crisis instruments such as voluntary volume reduction programmes already exist at EU level, along with market instruments that can improve farmers' market position. But instead of consistently using such instruments or strengthening them in favour of producers, politicians refer to "the market" and shift responsibility back onto farmers themselves.

The milk crisis is therefore not simply the result of "excessively high production". It is the result of political framework conditions that prevent collective solutions and consistently prioritise the interests of the food industry in obtaining cheap raw materials.

Our protest is directed against political framework conditions that - not only in the dairy sector:

• encourage overproduction,

• intensify crises,

• create ever greater pressure on animals, farms and rural areas.

Politicians could act - but they do not want to. This is exactly what we want to draw attention to.

Our demands:

• Activation of Voluntary Volume Reduction at EU level: reduction of non-demanded volumes in order to stabilise the milk market immediately

• Binding contracts before delivery: clear agreements on price, quantity, quality and duration before delivery - no deliveries into uncertainty

• Genuine reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Market Organisation (CMO)

Press contacts - BDM:

Hans Foldenauer, spokesperson for BDM: +49 170-56 380 56/ [email protected]
Peter Habbena, BDM regional team leader Lower Saxony: +49 170-9307418

Press contact - EMB:
Silvia Däberitz, Director: [email protected]