The butchers of the Girona counties demand al Govern that offers regulated training of the trade. The union warns that in the next five years many professionals will retire and, as there is no generational change due to lack of training, many villages may be left without a butcher’s shop. In this sense, the president of the Butchers and Charcuterie Guild of the Girona counties, Sílvia Aliuset an example France where there is a trade school that ensures this relief. Aliu explains that the problem is not that there are no workers but that there are no people willing to carry a charcuterie. “In the end, our job is not just to work in the meat, but to run a business,” he said.
Concern among butchers and delicatessens in Girona over the lack of generational succession. The problem has worsened in recent years and the industry warns that at the moment “it is very difficult to find people who want to run a business”. And it is not because of a lack of workers, but because there is no regulated training that encourages them to start a butcher’s shop or to take one that is in operation. The president of the butchers’ and charcuterie guild in the Girona region, Sílvia Aliu, states that they have been asking the Govern that bets on some studies of the branch, that allow to ensure the future of the butchers.
Aliu warns that there are already many villages in the area that are running out of these businesses and warns that in the next five or ten years many butchers will retire and, if there is no relief, “they will end up closing the store permanently.” “The problem we can find is that we all end up buying meat right there, in the big supermarkets and that we end up losing the quality of the service offered by the butcher and the local product,” he remarks. And it is currently only possible to do a course of ‘Processes and quality of food industries‘ a Crossroads (Baix Empordà), but does not delve specifically into the butchery. In addition, Aliu recalls that those who have an establishment, not only are engaged in dealing with meat or making, but also have to do important management work. “It’s a job that may not be considered that much, but it’s just as relevant,” he said.
In this sense, the president of the Girona charcuterie shops explains that companies can train workers and, in fact, “there is no problem of lack of staff”. “Many of the members tell us that they do the training themselves, but they can’t teach them how to run a business because it escapes the field,” he said. A reference, says Aliu, is France where there is a trade school that ensures a generational change and, therefore, the survival of the business.
They are not affected by the macro-farm controversy
In relation to the controversy over macro-farms, Aliu explains that it does not affect them and sees it more as a “political issue”. “Obviously, we have to talk regarding it, but I think the customers of our butchers know that we work very well,” he said. The guild estimates that the vast majority of professionals work with local produce and “very good quality” meat. “We all have a reference pastor and our customers trust what we offer them, otherwise they would not return,” concludes Aliu.
