Germany’s meat processing industry has become embroiled in a scandal about labour exploitation, with prosecutors investigating two dozen companies for underpaying migrant workers.
The country’s main public TV broadcaster, ARD, aired an exposé this week alleging German meat companies employed Eastern European workers under “slave labour” conditions, paying them less than the minimum wage and denying them social security benefits.
The claims follow a complaint filed with the European Commission by Belgium earlier this year about low wages in German meat processing. Countries such as Belgium allege super-low wages in the German meat sector allow it to undercut other EU states.
The scandal could put pressure on UK retailers to ensure they are not sourcing from companies implicated in the scandal, but National Pig Association director Zoe Davies said so far the impact on the UK industry had been minimal.
Last year, the UK imported 66,700 tonnes of pork from Germany, 32,200 tonnes of bacon and ham, 26,200 tonnes of sausages and 18,900 tonnes of other processed pig meat [AHDB/HMRC].
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