Milk producers associated with APROLEP left a bale of straw at the door of an Intermarché store in Vila Nova da Telha, in Maia, as a protest against the sale of French milk in this distribution chain's stores. The association accuses the group of importing milk from France, identified by the own brand "Top Budget" with the origin code "FR" on the packaging, at a time when national producers face pressure on prices and production costs.
The protest intensifies because, according to APROLEP, producers in the North Region are being forced to reduce production due to quantities contracted with cooperatives, which penalize those who exceed agreed volumes. The association questions the decision to import foreign milk when national production is available, considering it an "unnecessary import" that contributes to devaluing Portuguese milk and the work of farmers.
APROLEP argues that the choice for national products has effects that go beyond farm income, including the reduction of the trade deficit, the maintenance of economic activity in the territory and the preservation of agricultural areas that function as a barrier to the spread of fires. The association promises to continue to denounce what it considers to be a devaluation of national production and calls on distributors and consumers to privilege milk and dairy products of Portuguese origin.
