HAMBURG (GERMANY) – With the reopening of a huge abattoir after the outbreak of the pandemic, pig prices in Germany stabilised this week after witnessing heavy falls, said a farming association on Thursday.
Last week, the Toennies slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck restarted operations after remaining closed for a month when more than 1,500 employees tested positive for the virus.
The plant’s closure resulted in a slump in pig prices as farmers struggled to find abattoirs for their hogs. Given the extra demand abattoirs and meatpackers slashed their purchase prices.
Pig prices remained stable at 1.47 euros (1.34 pounds) a kilo after Toennies reopened, said the German pig farmers’ association. It was 1.60 euros a kilo four weeks ago.
The plant’s closure led to a lockdown for 600,000 people in the surrounding Guetersloh region. The government is mulling a new law to improve the working condition of slaughterhouses.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field