News Slaughter figures
Calf slaughter numbers affected by corona crisis
The number of calves and pigs slaughtered decreased in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year. This informs the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). A slight increase applies to goats, cattle and sheep.
The corona crisis has a big finger in the pie for the slaughter figures. Both the number of pigs slaughtered and the number of calves slaughtered decreased compared to the first half of last year. The corona crisis is the driver of this decline for both figures, but in a different context for each.
Fewer massacres
The fact that fewer calves were slaughtered has to do with the catering sector that had to close its doors, both at home and abroad. In total, the number of calves slaughtered fell by 14%, about 59.000 animals. In the rolling twelve-month total, in which seasonal influences and monthly differences are corrected, the influence of the partial lockdown was clearly visible. The total fell to 1,58 million calves in May, 4% less than in February. Incidentally, the decline did not continue in June and showed a slight increase. This is probably due to the partial opening of the catering industry.
For the pig slaughters, the number was influenced by the slaughtering capacity in the slaughterhouses. Several slaughterhouses had to close for several hours, days or even weeks. This also had an effect on the slaughter numbers. In May 16,3 million animals were slaughtered, 3% less than in April. In May and June, the coronavirus outbreaks among slaughterhouse workers were discussed, which explains the decline.
Increase
While considerably more goats were slaughtered in February, this has stabilized during the corona crisis. It is striking, however, that the structural peak in the spring this year was actually higher than in previous years. This is because the goats that are normally exported due to the corona crisis were fattened faster and were subsequently slaughtered in the Netherlands. A slight increase was noted for broilers, sheep and adult cattle.
Jorine Cosse
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