Swiss butchers under pressure despite steady meat consumption

According to the head of the Swiss Meat Association, pressure on butchers has increased despite constant meat consumption. Takeovers and mergers are a key reason, said Daniel Schnider. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox A lack of succession solutions in the event of retirement affects the meat industry just as much as other sectors of the economy. “Butchers rarely close because their business is not profitable,” said Schnider in an interview with CH Media published on Monday. “Some 40 years ago, around 2,400 businesses were members of the Swiss Meat Association, today we are down to 900,” said the association's head. The loss of butchers has recently slowed down. Although the association is losing members, the number of employees has remained constant at 24,000 due to takeovers and mergers. However, demands have increased. A meat counter is no longer enough; party services are also needed, for example. “But you can't produce cervelats at five in the ...