Differences have erupted between animal breeders and meat traders in Volos in recent days, with the former speaking of unfair competition. As gegonota.news reports, animal breeders are protesting because, they say, the market is flooded with lambs imported from Romania, which are sold as domestic, according to Rador Radio Romania.
Traders, taking advantage of the legislation that stipulates that the animal’s origin stamp is optional, bring lambs from Romania and sell them to slaughterhouses as Greek, as the president of animal breeders in the Volos region complains. “They bought them for less than 9 euros and sell them for 16 euros per kilogram. It’s a scam and I’ve asked for checks for both origin falsification and shameless specula. 50% of butchers meet Easter needs this way, but this is at the expense of farmers and consumers. We don’t have the right to release names, but this is happening. The controls started today,” the president of the animal breeders of the Volos region told gegonota.news.
The selling price of lamb in Romania, as reported by the publication, is around 4.5 euros, since due to the mild winter there are many lambs available and at a weight sought by the Greek market.
Thus, the merchants of Thessaly appear to be doing very profitable business, while the livestock farmers are suffering financially after losing 80,000 animals to the floods last year.
Source: I EPHEMIRE / Rador Radio Romania / Translation: Carolina Ciulu
