In order to adapt to the market developments, the association will strive to establish cooperation with all retailers and will not allow anyone, including retail chains, to treat any Slovenian company in a discriminatory manner, Jez told the press in Ljubljana.

The association's secretary general also criticised government tenders for supplying nurseries and schools with food. Despite a good nutrition strategy, price is still the deciding factor, he warned.

The association has 23 members that account for some 90% of the country's meat industry. Their combined revenues stood at EUR 470m in 2006.

In the past two years, its members have invested EUR 10m in advertising and worked with retail chains to promote Slovenian meat and meat products, explained Jez.

In 2004, Slovenia became a net importer of meat and meat products. For 2006, exports were assessed at EUR 117m while imports amounted to EUR 145m, explained agrarian economist Ales Kuhar.

Almost half of Slovenian exports (47%) last year were meat products (poultry products, exported mainly into Austria), 35% of exports was meat (mostly beef and fowl, mainly for the Italian market) while livestock (18%) was exported mainly to Austria.

In imports, Austrian and Italian meat (mostly pork) represented 67%, meat products added 20% and livestock 15% of imports, explained Kuhar.