Pig in a poke? Smithfield faces problems in Eastern Europe
Swine Plague: Romania Criticizes American Group's Attitude
By Mirel Bran
Le Monde
Mircea Cotosman has cowboy manners. He directs the Romanian subsidiary of the American pig-breeding company Smithfield, located in Timisoara. Premier pork producer in the world, Smithfield established itself in Romania in 2004, by buying thirty-three farms dating from the Communist era for $200 million (147 million euros). The pork giant had intended to invest a billion dollars (737 million euros) in its farms, which already were bringing in attractive profits. The state-of-the-art Chrysler C300 that Mircea Cotosman bought himself testifies to those profits.
But the American dream took a serious hit in Timisoara when swine plague ravaged Smithfield's farms. "We have nothing to say to the press; the swine plague is under control; journalists can just publish our communiqués," Mircea Cotosman indicated: he refuses all contact with journalists after receiving his orders from the company's headquarters, located in Smithfield, Virginia.
As for obtaining access to the farms themselves, it is out of the question. Guards accompanied by bulldogs eliminate any desire to insist. "Everybody beat it," one of them insists in front of one of their farms in the village of Cenei, in western Romania. "This is private property here!"
"Our doctors have not had access to the American farms to effect routine inspections," deplores Csaba Daroczi, assistant director at the Timisoara Hygiene and Veterinary Authority. "Every time they tried, they were pushed away by the guards. Smithfield proposed that we sign an agreement that obliged us to warn them three days before each inspection. These people have never known how to communicate with the public authorities."
The swine plague epidemic, discovered August 3, revealed an embarrassing situation for the American company. Of its 33 farms, 11 had no authorization from the sanitary authorities and had to close their doors. Moreover, Smithfield lacks manpower because of its low salary policy. Four of the nine Romanian employees at the Cenei farm have left, their 500 lei (160 euros) salary inadequate to assure their everyday needs.
(More here.)
By Mirel Bran
Le Monde
Mircea Cotosman has cowboy manners. He directs the Romanian subsidiary of the American pig-breeding company Smithfield, located in Timisoara. Premier pork producer in the world, Smithfield established itself in Romania in 2004, by buying thirty-three farms dating from the Communist era for $200 million (147 million euros). The pork giant had intended to invest a billion dollars (737 million euros) in its farms, which already were bringing in attractive profits. The state-of-the-art Chrysler C300 that Mircea Cotosman bought himself testifies to those profits.
But the American dream took a serious hit in Timisoara when swine plague ravaged Smithfield's farms. "We have nothing to say to the press; the swine plague is under control; journalists can just publish our communiqués," Mircea Cotosman indicated: he refuses all contact with journalists after receiving his orders from the company's headquarters, located in Smithfield, Virginia.
As for obtaining access to the farms themselves, it is out of the question. Guards accompanied by bulldogs eliminate any desire to insist. "Everybody beat it," one of them insists in front of one of their farms in the village of Cenei, in western Romania. "This is private property here!"
"Our doctors have not had access to the American farms to effect routine inspections," deplores Csaba Daroczi, assistant director at the Timisoara Hygiene and Veterinary Authority. "Every time they tried, they were pushed away by the guards. Smithfield proposed that we sign an agreement that obliged us to warn them three days before each inspection. These people have never known how to communicate with the public authorities."
The swine plague epidemic, discovered August 3, revealed an embarrassing situation for the American company. Of its 33 farms, 11 had no authorization from the sanitary authorities and had to close their doors. Moreover, Smithfield lacks manpower because of its low salary policy. Four of the nine Romanian employees at the Cenei farm have left, their 500 lei (160 euros) salary inadequate to assure their everyday needs.
(More here.)
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