Shock for Perleberg: meat center about to close – what now?

Shock for Perleberg: meat center about to close – what now?

In Perleberg, a town in the Prignitz district, things are boiling: this Perleberg meat center is facing imminent closure, which not only causes great concern for the 150 employees, including 25 in administration and in the slaughterhouse. District Administrator Christian Müller speaks of a “severe blow” for the region that could have serious economic and social consequences.

The discussions between the district, the management and the owners, which have been going on since January, have so far produced no tangible results. Despite efforts to provide support, the company has not responded. Brandenburg's Minister Hanka Mittelstädt and representatives from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also examined possible help, but also received no response from the meat center.

Economic challenges

The economic and market challenges are obviously significant. The company also informed the works council about the precarious situation, which is due, among other things, to long-term delivery restrictions, particularly exports to China, as well as global customs restrictions. The consequences of African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease as well as high energy, logistics and wage costs are putting additional pressure on the company, so that management sees no possibility of continuing operations. RBB24 reports that the exact timing of the closure is still unclear, but further discussions have been agreed with the works council.

A few months earlier, about a year ago, the meat center had already experienced a wave of layoffs in which around 160 of 340 employees lost their jobs. At the time, critical voices from the “Food Pleasure Restaurants” union expressed concern about the job cuts, as the plant was supposed to concentrate on the slaughter of pigs and the sale of pork sides. Looking back, it turns out that this strategy was not successful.

Consequences for the region

The closure of the largest slaughterhouse in Brandenburg would not only hit employees hard, but could also mean that farmers have to accept longer transport routes, which leads to higher costs. The district administration is currently assessing the potential impact of this development, but no concrete results have been provided so far. After all, the meat center is an important partner for many farmers in the region in marketing their animals.

While the situation remains tense, there is hope that a solution can be found to secure jobs and the local economy. Close cooperation between the parties involved could be the key to ensuring that the concerns and needs of those affected are heard and possibly alleviated.

The next period will be crucial to see whether the meat center can be saved or whether closure is inevitable.