Focus on France Ian Sparks reports from Paris

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focus on... france

Ian Sparks reports from Paris on the horrors of life with less butter.

France is blaming the Chinese for its worst butter shortages since World War Two. Across the country, shelves are bare and apologetic notices have been posted to customers, who in France are the world’s biggest consumers of butter, eating 3.5kg of it each per year. The knock-on effect of the crisis means that many bakers are unable to meet demand for cakes, pies and especially the nation’s beloved croissant. Reports in the French media said some bakers were even committing the ultimate heresy of using margarine instead to make the iconic Gallic snack.

There are several reasons for the shortage, but most of France is blaming it on China, where butter consumption has increased ten-fold in the past decade, primarily due to increasing incomes, growing urbanisation and an expanding middle class.

But analysts also believe much of the crisis is self-inflicted, and due to the country’s rigid pricing and distribution system. Supermarkets are refusing to pay more because the amount they can charge customers is fixed annually by law, so producers are simply selling their butter abroad.

Grandmother Nicole Regai, 84, told French daily Le Figaro: “I never thought I would see the day again where shop shelves were empty of butter. It is the worst situation since the war, when the Nazis stole all our butter and sent it to Germany.”

Bernard Rouyer, head of the French dairy industry’s national organisation, said: “You have to understand that butter holds a key role in French cuisine and we eat it with every meal. Being French I cannot imagine eating radishes without butter. And we consider the combination of a baguette and butter as the perfect pairing. Also, in the west, fat is no longer considered the nutritional enemy it once was. That has changed to sugar so consumption of butter has gone up.

“Producers are also finding that they can get a better price by selling abroad than to the domestic market, and China is buying up most of it.”

But he added: “We are currently holding emergency negotiations with retailers, who we believe may be persuaded to accept an increase in prices, and if this happens consumers may find shelves restocked with delicious French butter just in time for Christmas.”

less wine too!

French wine production is also at as historical low this year due to poor harvests which have seen output volumes drop by a record 23 per cent.

Industry experts are blaming the poor harvests on extreme weather conditions, especially harsh springtime frosts which hit vineyards all the way from Bordeaux to Burgundy. Cotes du Rhone and Languedoc wines in southern France were spared the cold, but then suffered severe drought in the summer.

Georges Haushalter, Bordeaux trader and president of the Economic Commission of the Interprofessional Bordeaux Wine Council, told L’Express newspaper: “The situation is critical, but it is not tragic. There is already a lot of anxiety locally. In Burgundy they have had three difficult years because of frost, and wine growers in Pommard are on the brink of bankruptcy. Nationwide, winemakers could lose out on about a billion euros this year.

“Luckily there are stocks to compensate for the shortfall so there is still plenty of wine in the shops, unlike the butter crisis. But if next year’s weather isn’t better, customers may begin to notice less choice and higher prices.” He added: “Customers can help by spending more on their bottle of wine than they might usually do. Fine wines count for about three per cent of the wine produced but 20 per cent of the turnover. That means that if the fine wines sell particularly well the pressure on the volume market of our everyday wines will ease.

“Christmas is a critical selling period for the wine industry, so I would urge everyone to drink responsibly but drink expensively this festive season to help keep our winemakers afloat.”

The French government is also studying what the future holds for an industry that is set to be increasingly affected by climate change. The Ministry of Agriculture is currently working on a plan to combat global warming and other natural phenomena that is affecting production.

Jerome Agostini of the CNIV winemakers association said: “It’s not just a problem of climate change but also of bacteria diseases affecting the wood of the vines and insects destroying the plants. We are involved in a three-year study on different ways to improve and protect vines. This is a long term project but vines last 35 years so it’s worth investing in them.

“People whose work depends on nature are used to adapting to it almost on an annual basis. I think the current problems are something that can be overcome.” n

Many bakers are unable to meet demand for cakes, pies and especially the nation’s beloved croissant. Reports in the french media said some bakers were even committing the ultimate heresy of using margarine instead to make the iconic Gallic snack.