Tag: market power

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Price transmission in the dairy supply chain

DG AGRI’s Milk Market Observatory (MMO) is now proving its worth as a source of up-to-date data on milk and dairy product market developments. It is also an excellent source for historical time-series statistics which allow us to see patterns in the data and to develop hypotheses about the behaviour of actors in the food chain.
The chart below taken from the MMO shows the evolution of two indicators of producer prices for raw milk. One is the weighted average price that EU farmers received for raw milk at real fat and protein content (the ‘producer price’). The other is a hypothetical price, the farmgate milk price equivalent (FMPE), which is the price processors would be expected to pay based on the going market prices for butter and skimmed milk powder after deducting an average processing cost.
The producer price a farmer receives may be different from this hypothetical FMPE because of differences in actual fat and protein content from that assumed in the FMPE calculation, because actual processing costs may differ from those assumed in the calculation, and because much milk production is transformed into other types of dairy products which may have higher or lower value in the market place.… Read the rest

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Competition issues in the single CMO regulation

Recent volatility in food markets together with the perception that price changes are transmitted differently at different stages of the food chain have renewed focus on issues of market power and the limited bargaining strength of farmers compared to other actors in the food chain. European and national competition authorities have increasingly monitored the functioning of the food supply chain, enforcing competition rules where necessary.
Strengthening the role of producers was one of the objectives of the recently-revised single Common Market Organisation Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. Producer organisations, associations and interbranch organisation can now be recognised for all agricultural sectors and not just in fruit and vegetable production. Member states are authorised to introduce the compulsory use of written contracts with a number of standard clauses in their legal systems. These rules apply to all sectors except for milk and sugar where specific sectoral rules apply. The rules on contractual negotiations (collective bargaining) first suggested for the milk sector as part of the ‘Milk Package’ were extended to the beef, olive oil and table olives sectors as well as cereals and some other arable crops.… Read the rest

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Did we really need the Milk Package?

On 25 September last, the Commission organised a dairy conference in Brussels with 400 stakeholders to discuss the evolution of the EU dairy sector after the end of dairy quotas at the end of March 2015. In his opening speech, Commissioner Ciolos noted that the conference was taking place in a favourable context in terms of the milk market but raised the question whether the market management toolbox now available under the CAP post-2013 proposals is sufficient to enable the sector to adequately anticipate and react to crises in the future.
Commissioner Ciolos referred back to the 2009 milk crisis which led to the establishment of the High Level Expert Group on Milk and ultimately to the introduction of the Milk Package in 2012. This has been incorporated into the revised single Common Market Organisation regulation now waiting for approval by Council and Parliament.
What the 2012 ‘Milk Package’ does
The Milk Package contained two mandatory elements and three optional elements for member states.… Read the rest