May 17, 2021

Danish Crown reduces production at cutting plant in Boizenburg, Germany

Lack of export opportunities to third countries have caused Danish Crown to halve its production at a deboning plant in Germany.

The latest development came as the outbreak of African swine fever in Germany in fall 2020 had disrupted the daily export of German pork to virtually all countries outside Europe.

The cutting plant located in Boizenburg, 60 kilometers east of Hamburg, has operated for almost two decades, exporting both to the European Union and Japan. In recent years, Japan has been crucial to Boizenburg's production.

Although the production comes from pigs born in Denmark, the pork is processed in Germany, so it is internationally regarded as a product of German origin and consequently cannot be exported to third countries that have stopped the import of German pork, Danish Crown said.

With no prospect of reopening markets, Danish Crown has decided to halve production, closing one shift and laying off 100 employees.

- Danish Crown