Around 150 farmers demonstrated in Halle on Friday against the supermarket chain Colruyt, which they say is buying up too much farmland. They moved in a column with five tractors to Colruyt’s head office.
The demonstrators walked two kilometers to the Bevrijdingsplein in Halle, to the logistics center. Dirt was dumped in a parking lot. Farmers held up signs with slogans such as “Who wants to own the land will reap wrath” or “farmers angry at land theft”. Farmers denounce a “theft of land” in the head of Colruyt. The group goes through a subsidiary, Agripartners, to acquire dozens of hectares of land. The plan would be to collaborate with local farmers to manage the crops and have more Belgian products on the Colruyt shelves.
But these purchases worry many local farmers. They therefore gathered this morning in front of Hal’s headquarters to express their concerns. They regret this arrival on the market, believing that they have no chance of competing with Colruyt on the purchase of certain spaces, which could cause prices to rise. They also fear a loss of their independence in the crops, the reduction of their leeway on crop choices, refusing to have a deadline or a selling price imposed on them by the group.
“It drives up prices for young farmers”indique Wim Moyaert, coordinator du Boerenforum. “Land is becoming scarce and unaffordable. We fear that eventually there will only be expensive and temporary rental contracts with big players like Colruyt, which would make it impossible to continue agricultural activity.”
A study recently published by Apache indicated that the company had purchased 175 hectares of agricultural land in Belgium in recent years. For the Smallholder Agriculture Support Network (Résap), “Colruyt is just one example”. He denounces “the maneuvers of the large retailers who seek to take control of our food systems”. The action was organized on the sidelines of the International Day of Peasant Struggles.
Asked about the concerns expressed, Jean-Christophe Burlet, Regional Director of Colruyt Group, wished to be reassuring. “Our land is purchased for agricultural purposes to innovate and put our expertise together. What the client wants and how to cultivate it. By coming together, we will be able to come out stronger. We buy free land and we have a maximum price, we don’t want to compete”he told our team.