In quite an incendiary statement to German media, discount supermarket chain Lidl reserved some harsh words for rival Aldi's recent decision to slash the price of fresh meat and poultry.
Last Saturday, Aldi reduced the permanent price of fresh meat as well as butter in its German stores by as much as 7%.
Germany's second largest discounter Lidl criticised the price reductions at market leader Aldi, particularly the decline in prices of beef, chicken and turkey meat.
In a statement released yesterday, Lidl said that it would welcome "despite the tough competition in Germany, to find a price level in the fresh meat sector which supports the proper and important efforts for increased animal welfare".
Despite these comments, Lidl Germany immediately reduced the prices of their own fresh meat range in order to match its biggest rival.
The President of the German Animal Welfare Association, Thomas Schröder, condemned the recent cuts on Monday as a dumping strategy, which will take place to the detriment of animals and the farmers.
"Whoever lowers prices permanently, it also lowers the level of welfare on farms," said Schröder.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine by Enda Dowling
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