Paphos Life

Consumers in Cyprus and Greece pay the highest prices in Europe for milk, cheese and eggs, according to Eurostat....

Read the article and chat about it below...

I paid €1-40 for a litre of skimmed milk in Pap's Bakery today But the cakes are good

Hard to compare as back in the UK, alot of supermarkets use milk as a lost leader

It's actually called a " loss leader "

memory man wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2019 8:58 pm It's actually called a " loss leader "

Thank you

Milk is too cheap in the UK. Farmers dont make money on it, unless they have huge livestock numbers and subsidies

But as the headline says Cyprus has the highest price in Europe. They are not just comparing it with the UK

Happy in Cyprus wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 12:52 am Ipso facto, dairy products which arise from small bovine populations, will cost more.

And it´s well worth it because it helps reduce the cruelty to animals caused by e. g. German-style factory farming. It annoys me to no end when all those alleged animal lovers are buying the cheapest dairy products (like long-life milk from Germany for 65 Cent/l) or meat they can find.

The balance of the price is paid by the animals. In Bavaria there are stables with up to 50000 cows who never see the sun nor have space to move. It´s even worse for pigs as these are very social and intelligent animals who are kept under inhumane conditions and who are e. g. castrated, get their tails and teeth cut without anesthesia because they become aggressive towards each other due to the stress they are under. In the end they will be anesthetised for slaughtering using CO2 - which is exactly the substance that causes the feeling of suffocation even though stress-free alternatives are available (at higher cost though). All that so that pork can be offered at supermarkets for € 3/kg.

Went into Spar Larnaca today, milk 99c , think thats the cheapest around.

I personally find Jeba’s post hard to believe. Germany has a huge land area and one would think sufficient pasture for its cows from spring into autumn. I can’t imagine a building that could hold 50,000 cows? In winter most animals would be inside barns and being fed hay etc. Most N. European countries have harsher winters than the UK usually does. Even in the British isles cattle and pigs are usually wintered indoors.

Dee.

Kili01 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 2:34 pm I personally find Jeba’s post hard to believe. Germany has a huge land area and one would think sufficient pasture for its cows from spring into autumn. I can’t imagine a building that could hold 50,000 cows? In winter most animals would be inside barns and being fed hay etc. Most N. European countries have harsher winters than the UK usually does. Even in the British isles cattle and pigs are usually wintered indoors.

Dee.

Tend to agree with you, why would a farmer keep cows indoors, paying for hay/feed etc, when the cows could munch on grass outside for free?

Back to the OP.... I was surprised earlier this week to see Lidl selling eggs imported from Greece (and packaged/laid in late May according to the stamp). I would have thought that Cyprus could produce enough fresh eggs for its own population.

I’ve never bought eggs from the Supermarkets here

So I imagine that on your travels or near home there is a fresh egg seller..

WHL wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 2:37 pm

Kili01 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 2:34 pm I personally find Jeba’s post hard to believe. Germany has a huge land area and one would think sufficient pasture for its cows from spring into autumn. I can’t imagine a building that could hold 50,000 cows? In winter most animals would be inside barns and being fed hay etc. Most N. European countries have harsher winters than the UK usually does. Even in the British isles cattle and pigs are usually wintered indoors.

Dee.

Tend to agree with you, why would a farmer keep cows indoors, paying for hay/feed etc, when the cows could munch on grass outside for free?

You are both wrong I am afraid. These farms are a reality. They have them in the UK too. That's why I don't say much about animal cruelty in Cyprus. The UK have and other countries have their own skeletons.

I suppose I will have to rise to the bait as an ex UK Dairy Farmer

(One of the reasons I gave, up apart from not being able to earn a decent living, was that I was fed up with the misinformation regarding animal welfare)

I would love to see some evidence of where these 50000 cow herds are

In the UK there are a few herds of 1000 but also plenty of 50/60
I guess the average would be 200

We used to keep our best milkers inside 24/7.
They were guaranteed high quality feeds at all times and were kept in free choice individual stalls
http://www.wilsonagri.co.uk/products/ag ... -50-stalls
Within these were mattresses made of old chopped tyres, bedded on top with sawdust.
http://www.wilsonagri.co.uk/products/ag ... remium-pad
Other models are available!

The comment that grass in the field is 'free' is laughable.
It's all well and good seeing a herd of cows lying in the sunshine on a lovely British summers day, but how many of those do we get.
On a wet day, they may be sheltering under the hedge/trees pausing occasionally to walk their muddy feet all over the grass they are supposed to be eating, not forgetting that cow's aren't house trained and the consequences of that on the beautiful pasture that they are supposed to be eating

If for simple mathematics you need an acre to feed a cow for a year, it matters little whether she is walking over that acre or sitting in her comfortable bed waiting for some mug like me to put the feed in front of her.

I'm sure there are plenty of rogues in every business (farming included) but the UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

Rant over!!

Great post JB

Dominic wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:14 pm

WHL wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 2:37 pm

Kili01 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 21, 2019 2:34 pm I personally find Jeba’s post hard to believe. Germany has a huge land area and one would think sufficient pasture for its cows from spring into autumn. I can’t imagine a building that could hold 50,000 cows? In winter most animals would be inside barns and being fed hay etc. Most N. European countries have harsher winters than the UK usually does. Even in the British isles cattle and pigs are usually wintered indoors.

Dee.

Tend to agree with you, why would a farmer keep cows indoors, paying for hay/feed etc, when the cows could munch on grass outside for free?

You are both wrong I am afraid. These farms are a reality. They have them in the UK too. That's why I don't say much about animal cruelty in Cyprus. The UK have and other countries have their own skeletons.

Wow that's very distressing to hear. apologies to Jeba

Here are some links:

30,000 cow ranch in the States

http://politicsoftheplate.com/?p=598


100,000 cow mega dairies in China

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vv99 ... griculture


According to this, UK's biggest are more modest with 3000 - 6000.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -to-the-uk


Capturing the everyday horror of dairy farming in Germany.

https://www.wired.com/story/photo-galle ... g-germany/

I couldn't find any actual figures for Germany.