Strike in Brazil leaves nearly 70 million poultry culled

Eight days after the Brazilian truckers' strike begun, 120,000 tons of chicken and pork meat have not been exported, a number that continues to rise as the protests continue.

Burl Jantzen, iStockPhoto.com
Burl Jantzen, iStockPhoto.com

Eight days after the Brazilian truckers' strike begun, 120,000 tons of chicken and pork meat have not been exported, a number that continues to rise as the protests continue.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) — which brings together the big producers and exporters of pork and chicken — delivered a disturbing balance of the first eight days of protests: 120,000 tons of these foods that could not be exported.

In addition, “almost 70 million birds have died as a direct result of the strike (including the impossibility of transporting inputs to the farms), while a billion birds and 20 million pigs are at risk of death.”

The AP added: “The association warned that the situation is alarming for the entire sector and noted that the continuity of the strike poses a risk to the country and requires strong and immediate action by the government. It is not possible to wait any longer.” Although the government had announced an agreement with the truckers on May 28, the strike continued.

The president of the Brazilian Truckers' Association (Abcam), José da Fonseca Lopes, denounced that there are "infiltrators" who "want to overthrow the government" and that they threaten the carriers that want to end the strike.

"People want to go back to work, but they are afraid because they are being threatened in a violent way throughout the country," he said.

In a press release, the ABPA indicated on May 29 that bird deaths continue and that the situation is becoming more aggressive: two ration trucks have been burned near the entrance of the municipality of Muritiba, Bahia .

After 10 days in strike, the association affirmed that the 167 refrigeration units that reported paralysis remain inoperative, but as of May 30, part of them should gradually resume operations. More than 234,000 workers have stopped operations. 

The ABPA estimates that “the costs for the recovery of the normality of the process should be 30 percent higher than previously practiced.”

“The inconsistency of the acts in the pickets will have a direct impact on the purchasing power of the consumer, with a lower supply of products, but with the same tax burden, including operational costs and possible high inputs for industrial production, it will be more expensive to produce,” added the ABPA.

After the end of the strike, the regularization of the food supply to the population can take up to two months.

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