Irish to protest over Lidl chain import policy
Irish to protest over Lidl chain import policy
IRISH farmers are gearing up for a confrontation with the giant German discount chain Lidl, which opened seven stores in the Irish Republic this week and plans to add another three next month.
The chain intends to import most of its food products from the UK where it has 200 stores. It has also been suggested that Lidl will operate a policy of refusing to trade with producers who supply its major market rivals, such as Tesco and Dunnes Stores, as most Irish farmers do.
The 100,000-strong Irish FarmersAssociation has warned that neither approach is acceptable and has sought urgent talks with Lidl management, so far without success. IFA dairy committee chairman Padraig Walshe said it was "offensive to the rural community" that Lidl should be importing food while opening stores in towns across Ireland where people depended on agriculture for their livelihoods.
The IFA would be insisting, he added, that the Lidl stores supported Irish food and Irish jobs. And he warned that a campaign of "direct action" might be necessary if the chain did not meet its "responsibility to offer Irish consumers a genuine choice of Irish food products and brands".
Last year, as local sheep producers incomes plummeted, an IFA "direct action" team invaded Iceland stores and seized imported New Zealand lamb while another German discount chain, Aldi, was also hit by IFA protests when it started importing cut-price milk.