According to a study by Euronews, Malta ranked four among the member states paying the highest price for meat in Europe.

The media agency analysed the cost of 500g of fresh minced beef in a number of EU countries, selecting the cheapest meat from large supermarket chains’ website or online catalogue.

To take into account the different in purchasing power, it calculated how many hours of work, on the minimum wage, is needed to purchase the meat.

According to the calculations on Malta, one needs to work 0.9 hours to buy 500g of minced beef at €3.47.

Greece is paying the highest price in Europe, having to work almost 1.2 hours on minimum wage to purchase the same amount of beef at €4.50.  France is the second highest, paying €4.32 for a half a kilo of beef.

Over the past week, farmers in France have been blockading roads and supermarkets, in an attempt to stop imports at the country’s border. According to statistics, 10% of French farmers are likely to go bankrupt.

Furious at falling price for dairy and meat, 300 farmers used their vehicles, including skips filled with manure, to block access to Mont Saint-Michel and two towns in Lower Normandy.

About a month ago, French retailers agreed on raising the prices for meat and dairy products in a move that was meant to help farmers. However this has not helped, with farmers arguing that retailers are buying meat from processers and not them.

Russia was the number one destination for EU pork, dairy, and beef products until a ban was imposed in August last year.

The figures show that although France has one of highest price for minced beef, the country’s high minimum wage makes it relatively more affordable.

Where’s the beef?

€4.50 for 500g – Greece

€4.32 – France

€3.98 – Germany

€3.47 – Malta

€2.97 Estonio

€2.01 - Poland