The German Raiffeisen Association has provided a concrete estimate of the economic damages caused by the outbreak of the swine fever, for the first time. According to the association’s chief executive, Jörg Migende, the estimated loss of revenue already amounts to more than one billion euros.
The economic damage is immense, and the effects of the outbreak are alarming, Migende told the ARD-Hauptstadtstudio. He attributed the loss to the fact that countries outside the EU, such as South Korea, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, have stopped importing meat and dairy products from Germany. Furthermore, the association also counts disruptions in the EU’s internal market, as companies from EU member states are currently hesitant to import goods from Germany due to uncertainty. The EU, however, decided the day before to allow the continuation of the import and export of products from Germany, as long as they come from outside the designated quarantine zone.
The Raiffeisen Association expects the damage to increase significantly, as the export restrictions will only be lifted once the outbreak is brought under control. Migende urged the government to grant immediate export freedom, as every day counts, and to negotiate with other countries to achieve similar exceptions, such as the one granted by the United Kingdom for pasteurized milk.
The Raiffeisen Association is the umbrella organization of cooperatives and cooperative-oriented companies in the German agricultural and food industry, with 1,656 member companies involved in the production, trade, or processing of plant and animal products.