The appeal from farmers was made on 10 November, the second day of the strike by workers in Spain’s meat industry. Unión de Uniones is calling on the authorities to facilitate negotiations between employers and trade unions and help the parties reach an agreement as quickly as possible.
According to the organisation, the absence of an agreement on the nationwide collective bargaining agreement is already having a direct impact on livestock farms. Because some abattoirs are operating at limited capacity or have stopped work altogether, scheduled livestock transport journeys are being cancelled.
This is making herd management on farms more difficult and increasing production costs. In addition, existing commercial terms may result in financial penalties for producers or lower prices for animals sold.
Although the strike is affecting all livestock sectors, pig production is experiencing the greatest impact, according to Unión de Uniones, because of the large volumes of animals moved and slaughtered each day.
The organisation stresses that these losses are adding to an already difficult situation in the sector caused by rising production costs. Farmers are therefore urging the authorities to help resolve the dispute as a matter of urgency and restore normal operations in the meat industry.
PigUA.info, based on materials from Europa Press