Monday, May 11, 2020
Has Europe’s meat production been affected by the spread of the coronavirus?
Europe’s meat-production industry is reeling from the coronavirus, but in a different way than the U.S. industry. While U.S. processing plants have been struggling to stay open amid COVID-19 outbreaks, European producers are having trouble finding storage for products as supply chains are at a standstill because of the economic and social restrictions imposed by governments to slow the disease's spread.
For instance, hotels, restaurants and cafes, mostly closed, normally absorb 35% of Spain's pork output. Smaller retailers accounting for another 38% of consumption have also had their hours curtailed, further impacting sales.
Similar effects are felt by dairy and poultry producers.
Sources
- US Agriculture Department: Impact of coronavirus on Spanish agriculture
- Global Meat News: Spanish pork producers seek recovery
- Dairy Reporter: French cheese campaign to save national producers
- Dairy Reporter: EU dairy storage measures
- Global Meat News: Oversupply warning issued by European poultry industry
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