A few days before the Christmas holidays, industries linked to Iberian ham and lamb They continue to receive orders for the many lunches and dinners with families and friends that take place on these dates. However, both sectors face … this period in a different way.
On the one hand, the products of porcine have increased their sales this year, according to company representatives consulted by ABC, while regarding sheep Operations were not as intense as planned due to damage caused in the cabin by bluetongue.
The president of the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) Los Pedroches, Antonio Jesús Torralbo, assured that the sales of the last quarter, which represent approximately 70% of the total transactions, “they are going wonderfully”, even if he did not give precise figures because the closing takes place in January.
“Every day industries contact us to certify new parts which are demanded in the market”, declared the manager, who also indicated that “the consumption of our products is very seasonal at the moment, but we note that the orders in the first days of January, they are growth for gift baskets on the occasion of the Three Kings.
From his point of view, the influence of the cases of African swine fever in Catalonia is zero at the marketing level. “This is a serious animal health problem that we hope can be resolved as quickly as possible, but it has not no impact on consumption», underlined Torralbo. His opinion is that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food “takes all necessary measures to target the location of sick animals.
Since the pandemic, the demand for Pedroches ham and shoulders has started to grow in the form of slice. The president of the DOP assured that “there has come a time when these orders increase so much that some industries begin to no longer have the capacity to supply all their customers because it is a manual process that requires a lot of work“.
Higher prices
Regarding prices, Torralbo indicated that companies in the sector have no choice but to download them pass on its growing productive and fiscal costs.
For his part, the director of Agroiberica, José MartÃn, said that his sales during the Christmas campaign increased by approximately 15% compared to last year. “We are receiving more orders, particularly via the channel ‘online’“, and we think it is because we have won the award for best Iberian ham at the Los Pedroches Fair for three consecutive years”, highlighted the manager.
A very different situation is that which occurs in the sheep industry meat, which achieves 40% of its sales on these festive dates. The director of Las Albaidas Livestock and president of the National Association of Extensive Breeders (Anggex), Felipe Molina, highlighted that the increase in cases of blue tongue In sheep, this had an impact on a reduction in the number of births.
Their calculations are that, generally speaking, the drop in stocks of lambs on the market reached 30% this year, a figure which rises to 50% as far as his company is concerned. The consequence of this is the sharp rise in prices.
Good cheese sales
Molina indicated that the losses for producers were of the order of 60 euros per animala damage that was partially compensated by aid approved by the Junta de AndalucÃa which covers approximately 30 euros per copy. It is for this reason that he called on the department led by Cordoba Minister Luis Planas to implement financial support which can supplement the subsidies granted by the Autonomous Administration.
Products like cheese They are also in high demand in restaurants and homes these days. The Balanchares is a company based in Zuherosspecialized in the manufacturing and marketing of this goat’s milk-based food. Its director, Juan de Dios Serrano, affirmed that sales for the Christmas period “remain at good level with figures quite similar to those of last year.
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