The staff shortage is so great that Dutch slaughterhouses are now demanding a higher deboning price. This means that a greater distinction will be made between meat parts 'in the bone' and 'off the bone'. This is apparent from the price movements of Van Rooi and Westfort, among others, who have put this 'disclaimer' on the price lists to their customers this week.
This is evident from the price changes of Van Rooi and Westfort, among others, who have placed this 'disclaimer' on the price lists to their customers this week. At Westfort, the higher prices are expected from next week, while Van Rooi is already implementing price increases this week. Bone-in hams decrease by €0,02 per kilo, while boned hams increase by €0,10.
China has dropped out
Jaap de Wit junior from Westfort says that the major labor shortages necessitate this. "The boned meat parts are in high demand, but there is hardly any sales for 'on the bone'. That is why we are increasing the price, with the aim of making non-boned meat available on the market in a more interesting way. Until recently, according to De Wit, slaughterhouses could buy a lot of meat in the sell leg (half and whole carcasses) to China, but that market is now saturated.
This means that more bone needs to be done in Europe, but the capacity is simply not there. "We have never experienced such staff shortages, but we have to deal with them." The slaughter plans also suffer, De Wit agrees. "We do everything we can to absorb the pigs as much as possible, but that is not always easy."