Overview
- Police counted about 140 tractors at Lidl’s German headquarters in Bad Wimpfen as organizers claimed up to 250, with additional actions reported at facilities in Radeburg, Cloppenburg and Wasbek.
- Retailers cut own‑brand butter to €0.99 per 250 g after global milk prices fell and dairies reported higher deliveries and fat content, and Lidl says lower shelf prices boosted demand and helped reduce surplus stock.
- The Bavarian Farmers’ Association has asked the Bundeskartellamt to review the markdowns, and recent competition scrutiny of grocery supply chains has renewed calls for stronger protections against unfair trading practices.
- Baden‑Württemberg’s agriculture minister Peter Hauk has invited retailers and farm groups to talks scheduled for mid‑January to address pricing pressures on producers.
- Farmer groups remain split, with the BDM rejecting protests at supermarkets and urging EU‑funded voluntary production cuts as producer milk prices decline to around 46 cents per kilo, below estimated costs near 53.5 cents.