Chicken and turkey farms go on “indefinite” strike in the middle of Christmas
Contenido disponible en: العربية (Arabic)The chicken and turkey farms in Andalusia are in an extreme situation. Poultry farmers refuse to […]
The chicken and turkey farms in Andalusia are in an extreme situation. Poultry farmers refuse to continue covering the increase in production costs out of their own pockets and have announced that, "indefinitely", they will not receive any more animals starting next December 24. We are talking about more than 100 farms on strike, which represents more than 4.5 million chicken places, more or less half of those in the entire Autonomous Community.
The Defiende tu Avicultura association has pointed out in a statement that poultry farmers have been suffering from this "very serious" situation for some time and are "ruining themselves by not covering production costs due to a flagrant breach of the so-called Food Chain Law." But in the absence of a solution, they do not see themselves "materially capable of continuing to receive animals if a satisfactory agreement is not reached immediately" with AVINATUR, one of the main poultry companies in Spain and the largest in Andalusia.
"If they don't even want to talk, all that remains is to stop, because there is no material capacity to pay the electricity or gas bills that allow the activity to continue so that the animals end up being raised."
So almost four and a half million jobs are ready to stop starting in the middle of Christmas, which represents an indefinite strike of approximately 50% of the integration. "The Food Chain Law is not being complied with and they cannot cover the care, breeding and custody expenses that they require to move forward," says Alexis Codesal, president of Defiend your Aviculture.
The association also warns that if a satisfactory solution is not reached soon, "it is clear that there will be a shortage of chicken meat in Andalusia."
Stoppage in slaughterhouses
The association has also warned that the hatchery strike will have direct consequences on chicken slaughterhouses, which currently employ 700 people in Andalusia. "If there are no farms, there are no chickens. And if there are no chickens, there is no cutting, so the slaughterhouses will stop too."
The association also warns that the farm stoppage starting December 24 will have consequences for the egg incubation process, which lasts 21 days. That is, if an acceptable solution for the sector is not reached, the millions of eggs incubated starting December 3 will be left in limbo because there will be no farms to raise those chicks.
Furthermore, the situation will soon be even more serious considering that European regulations on animal welfare, which aim to reduce the density of chickens in fattening farms, could have an impact on the costs and profits of producers and on the price. for the consumers. According to COAG, costs for egg producers could increase by up to 140,000 euros and the price of chicken meat could triple for consumers.
Information taken from: Libremercado
