Authorities are forcing tanneries to withdraw raw hides from slaughterhouses. And Argentine tanning risks a short circuit. On Saturday March 28th, the secretary of the Federación de Industrias Frigoríficas Regionales Argentinas (FIFRA), Juan Javier Peralta, posted on Twitter the letter addressed to a group of Argentine tanneries by the Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria. The letter is signed by the president of the government agency, Carlos Paz. In it, he orders tanneries to withdraw raw hides from the slaughterhouses, starting today. And those not doing it could face penalties.
Authorities force tanneries to withdraw the hides
A group of 32 tanneries announced the interruption of the purchase of raw hides. The South American government considers tanning and animal husbandry among the essential sectors: they are therefore authorised to operate. But tanneries are still very close to a stop, due to logistical problems and stuck markets. This dynamic had consequences on meat prices. Slaughterhouses complain that, in order to prevent hides from becoming stiff, they must keep them in the fridge. All this involves expenses, then falling on the cost of meat. As campoenaccion.com reports, Paz warned that “not collecting or removing hides from slaughterhouses is causing serious inconveniences in these plants’ processes”, a situation that “significantly affects the supply of meat, and seriously compromises safety”. Companies not showing to be available could incur in “consequent measures”.
The workers’ comment
“Our workforce is available in every factory, where limits in compliance with emergency regulations must be guaranteed – reads a note from the Federación Argentina de Trabajadores de la Industria del Cuero y Afines -. The decision whether or not to receive the raw material is the exclusive decision of the employers, but the workers, who are unaware of the commercial disputes between different sectors, must not be exposed to risks. At the same time, we join the request for solidarity within the whole country to implement and apply the measures taken by the national government to face the advance of the Coronavirus pandemic”.
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