Schouten allows slaughterhouses to remain open

Dutch slaughterhouses will remain open for the time being, despite the corona infections among the employees. Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten announced this tonight (May 26) after consultation with representatives of the meat sector.

The minister is taking a much more lenient stance in this, after she threatened to close slaughterhouses yesterday if the proposed prevention measures are not sufficient. Schouten now places the responsibility with the slaughterhouses: they must ensure that their employees can work safely. The living and transport conditions must also be examined together with the employment agencies.

Extra measures 
Within the slaughterhouses, for example, walking routes are being looked at. Employees may also be equipped with additional protective equipment. The measures apply on top of the 1,5 distance meter rule. In addition, staff will be regularly tested for the coronavirus, a measure that Vion has been advocating for some time. 

Schouten's decision to keep slaughterhouses open for the time being is a major windfall for the already troubled pig sector. Since the start of the corona crisis, pig and piglet prices have been marked down. When slaughterhouses were closed, a large pig plug had irrevocably formed in the Netherlands. 

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is Head of Meat & Dairy at BoerenbusinessAt DCA Market Intelligence, he focuses on dairy, pork, and meat markets. He also monitors (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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