Shelves bare after Easter feast
Butchers around Greece struggled to keep up with demand for lamb and goat after the meat sold out during a busy Easter season, sources said yesterday. More than 150,000 lambs and goats from Greece and abroad were sold from the Varvakeios Market in central Athens during Holy Week, according to its president Kleanthis Tsirionis. The main meat market in Athens accounts for about 15 percent of nationwide sales in the runup to Easter. Similarly high sales were recorded at most of the 22,000 butchers’ stores around the country. Only some 5 percent of Easter lambs and goats are bought from supermarkets. It is traditional to roast lambs or goats on Easter Sunday but sales this year have been much higher than in recent years. This week, slaughterhouses opened early to ensure there would be enough meat to supply the market ahead of the long May Day weekend. It had been feared that high prices would put off many consumers before Easter but Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas said prices had remained at «satisfactory levels,» disproving «those who forecast an explosion in the prices of consumer goods.» Poultry farmers are hoping they will be able to capitalize on the temporary shortage of other meats on the market. Poultry sales have dipped by up to 70 percent this year due to fears of bird flu. Another boost came from Brussels for poultry farmers yesterday. European Union agriculture ministers agreed to provide subsidies to farmers suffering because of falling prices and demand. Some 320,000 tons of poultry is lying in cold storage across the EU because of low consumer demand. Under the plan, farmers who prove their businesses have been damaged by falling demand can qualify for subsidies.
