Closure of Van Rooi Meat has an effect on slaughter figures

With the exception of the first week of June, the slaughter figures show a stable picture. Weeks 24 and 25 are still slightly lower than the same weeks in 2018 and 2019, but are equal to the 5-year average. Week 26 again meets the trend of the previous 287.000 years with 2 slaughters. Week 23 is a different story. A combination of circumstances has caused a huge dip in the number of pig slaughters.

Circumstances
It is certainly not the deepest valley that the massacres have seen in the past 5 years, but it is a remarkable valley in a remarkable time. Normally, a similar decline in slaughtering occurs at the end of the year, in the last week, due to reduced capacity in the slaughterhouses due to New Year's Eve. This decline is a far cry from that, six months after New Year's. It has everything to do with a combination of circumstances, largely caused by the corona crisis.

A total of 23 pigs were slaughtered in week 181.000. That is more than 80.000 fewer animals than are slaughtered on average in the same period. This has to do with, among other things, the closure of Van Rooi Meat, which had to keep its doors closed until June 9. With a slaughter share within Dutch slaughterhouses of around 20%, it was expected that the number of slaughters would suffer from this.

In addition to the closure of Van Rooi Meat also turned Vion not yet at full speed. During this period, the meat company was faced with strict controls and even closure on several occasions. This put a magnifying glass on the work and even the housing of its employees. This, but also a statement from the Dutch Government, limited the slaughter capacity.

The corona crisis is not the only influence on slaughter figures and on Dutch slaughterhouses. An additional feature of the first week of June is that the month kicked off with Whit Monday. This holiday also has a (minimal) effect on the massacres. There is a small dip in this every year. In 2019 a week later, in 2018 2 weeks earlier.

Weights and meat
The weight of the slaughtered pigs clearly shows that the animals in week 24 were on average heavier at 100 kilos than is usually the case. This was most likely caused by animals being slaughtered a week later than intended due to reduced slaughter capacity. Although the pigs this year are generally heavier than in previous years, the current trend is somewhat striking. While the weight normally decreases somewhat in the summer months, it now remains at a reasonable level.

The percentage of meat also shows a slightly different picture than we saw in previous years. In week 24, a deep trough occurs that has not been seen in the past 2 years. The following week the percentage was significantly higher again and also higher than in previous years. This is also most likely related to keeping the pigs longer, but it cannot be fully determined. However, the 5-year average shows the same decline, something that is largely influenced by the same decline in 2017.