Will there be a “ceiling” for lamb prices?

The Panhellenic Federation of Butchers is asking the government to set a “ceiling” on prices for lamb meat, the demand for which traditionally grows on the eve of Easter.

As POKK explains, the request is made in order to “combat emerging speculative trends in the trade” and not exceed the expected 20% increase in the final cost of meat products for the consumer, writes iefimerida.gr.

“It is clear that farmers, merchants and butchers are entitled to a fair profit, but we must all keep in mind that The purchasing power of consumers not only has not increased by a single cent, but at the same time is under considerable pressure. says POKK President Savvas Kesidis.

As he explained, “If the consumer’s options are limited (due to the increased price of meat), then eventually the breeders will not be able to sell their products, the merchants will not make a profit, and ultimately the butchers will lose regular customers. No one will benefit from this,” Mr. Kesidis stressed.

“If prices for mutton and goat meat rise too much, consumers will turn their attention to other types of meat. If we see something like this, then we will make purchases only to cover our orders, ”the head of the POCC specified.

Lamb prices last year for Easter

Last year, the price of Greek lambs in butcher shops ranged from 11 EUR/kg to 13-13.5 EUR/kg, depending on their quality and breeding area, while in 2020 it was 9-9.5 EUR/kg , said Mr. Kesidis, adding that “since September, meat prices, i.e. beef, pork and chicken have risen by 20%, and we can already see that people are in shock about what is happening.”

Thus, if last year during this period (pre-Easter days) butchers already had from 15 to 20 orders, then this year there are no more than five. Consumers remain on the fence about the final price of lambs.

It is noted that at this time, Italian and Spanish traders buy lambs and goats for the days of Catholic Easter (celebrated a week earlier than Orthodox Easter) and, according to Mr. Kesidis, buy lambs at a price of 6.5 to 7 euros per kilogram.

“We do not yet know how many products will be left for Orthodox Easter in our country. Over the next week, we will have a clear picture of the quantity and prices of Greek lambs. There is no doubt that, like every year, this year we will have imports of lambs from Romania and Bulgaria, at prices 1-1.5 euros lower compared to local meat,” he said.

The head of the POCC stressed that butchers in retail trade, in their stores, are required to indicate the country of origin of the meat product (in particular, lamb).

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