June 8, 2006

Meat operations grind to a halt as inspectors go on strike in Norway

The Norwegian meat industry effectively came to a standstill Tuesday (Jun 8) as meat inspectors across the country went on strike protesting a national wage claim a week after negotiations between the inspectors' union and officials broke down.

The strike put a halt to slaughtering operations at plants nationwide, forcing processors to continue operations on reserve stocks. However, most processors are believed to be running low on raw materials and fears are mounting as livestock accumulate. 

The poultry processing industry is expected to be the worst hit because of the high daily turnover and there is concern that farms will be left with overweight birds and would not be able to restock.

These concerns are also echoed in the swine industry where the impacts of the strike would take a longer time to be felt.