The collapse of the Uruguayan meat industry is “an unprecedented crisis”

Currently, more than 2,300 workers in the sector are on unemployment insurance, an alarming figure considering that the total number of employees in the 33 industrial complexes in the country is around 14,000. This situation was recently aggravated by the incorporation of 350 employees of the Casa Blanca S.A. (Fricasa) meat packing plant, located in Paysandú, to unemployment insurance. Fricasa drastically reduced its operations, keeping only between 70 and 80 workers active to carry out a single weekly slaughter of 150 cattle, well below its annual slaughter capacity of approximately 100,000 cattle. The company faces a significant debt, estimated between 25 and 30 million dollars, mainly with its largest creditor, Conexión Ganadera. This financial crisis led to a progressive decrease in activities since December, when difficulties were reported in paying the vacation salaries of more than 100 employees. In January, the frequency of slaughter was reduced from four days to one or ...