“There were producers who had to discard milk because they lacked storage facilities,” reported Idalino Leão, president of the Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives and Agricultural Credit of Portugal (Confagri), speaking to journalists in Beja.
Leão further explained that milk collection from producers was delayed, causing bottlenecks later at the factory due to excessive quantity which led to several constraints.
“According to our estimates, these constraints could amount to around three million euros,” admitted the Confagri president while addressing journalists at the sidelines of a seminar held during the Ovibeja agricultural fair in the Alentejo city.
Idalino Leão highlighted that the agriculture sectors most impacted by the power outage included livestock, milk, dairy products, and meat.
“We are dealing with perishable goods, for which the cold chain is essential for functionality and continuity of work,” he noted, emphasizing that electricity supply on Monday was cut off for 12 hours.
In the meat sector, he added, there were also losses because “slaughter and transformation units had to close” due to a lack of energy for refrigeration systems, though these losses are still being assessed.
While the assessment of losses is ongoing, the estimate of three million euros in the milk and dairy sector accounts for losses incurred by producers, the logistics chain, and the industry.
The Confagri president stressed that the authorities are already aware of these losses and expects the Government to address the issue with sensitivity.
“There are many costs accounted for that need to be compensated,” he concluded.
The Portuguese Meat Industry Association (APIC) has also called for the creation of a support line and for energy companies to be prohibited from claiming force majeure in light of the blackout costs, which resulted in animals not being dispatched for consumption.
The Monday blackout occurred at 11:33 in Lisbon, affecting the entire mainland of Portugal and Spain, as well as some areas in southern France.
SM/RRL (PE) // EA
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