Bercy has already sent injunctions to force the companies concerned to comply. The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire announced Monday that he had identified 124 contracts, signed between manufacturers and distributors as part of commercial negotiations, which do not comply with the law.
Following an angry movement by farmers, the government announced that it wanted to strengthen the control of contracts signed as part of negotiations between distributors and manufacturers, in order to ensure that they are in compliance with the Egalim law, which aims to protect farmers’ remuneration. Checks on the French origin of products have also been launched.
Of the “1,000 contracts signed” at the end of the commercial negotiations which ended on January 31 between the “large manufacturers” and the “five large distributors”, “124 contracts do not respect the rules of the law”, affirmed Bruno The Mayor in the show C à vous, broadcast on France 5. “I therefore sent injunctions to all manufacturers and all distributors” whose contracts are not compliant, continued the minister.
A fine of up to 5 million euros
“They have fifteen days to explain why they did not comply and to comply, failing which manufacturers and distributors will each incur a fine of up to 5 million euros,” threatened Bruno Le Maire, promising to make their names public.
Responding to the accusations of Michel-Edouard Leclerc, the spokesperson for the sector’s leading brand E.Leclerc, who considers himself targeted “personally” by “a group of deputies” from the majority, Bruno Le Maire indicated that E .Leclerc is “neither more nor less” in the government’s sights.
“The five distributors are all affected by the investigations” launched and “no one will slip through the cracks,” assured the government’s number two. He displayed his firmness: “sanctions will fall on all those who cheated”.
Concerning purchasing centers domiciled abroad which would allow distributors to circumvent the law, Bruno Le Maire indicated that controls are in progress and recalled that “any product sold in France must respect French law”.