ucts in Germany remained firmly in the focus of the country's national media over the weekend, as politicians and farmers' unions spoke out against Aldi's recent price-cuts.Minister for Agriculture in the Schleswig-Holstein region, the Green Party's Robert Habeck (pictured), said on Saturday that the situation had become "simply a mess".
Habeck even went as far as to urge shoppers to "act responsibly and despise" these low cost meat deals.
The Minister said that loss leading deals force German farmers into mass production, neglecting the quality of goods and welfare of livestock.
"It leads to a system in which the welfare of the animal is subordinated," he said.
The President of Schleswig-Holstein Farmers' Association, Werner Schwarz, was also very critical of the cuts. He told German media that the pressure on farmers to produce more cheaply is under strain by the latest cuts.
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, 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.
