CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC ON-FARM MEAT PRO CESSING ENTERPRISES IN GERMANY

Farm-based food processing using their own raw materials can serve as an adaption to changing conditions on the agricultural market. Among a l agricultural enterprises with a processing business processing meat is of outstanding importance: Measured in terms of its distribution am ong all German farms, farm-based meat processing is of minor importanc e. However, in some cases meat processing might serve as the only poss ibility to improve the profitability of stock keeping by adding intern al value. Therefore it can make a contribution to the stabilization an d increase in farm income. The results of a comparision between conven tional and organic farms with a meat processing business give hinds th at more professional processors are to be found within the conventiona l sector. This is expressed in terms of a higher distribution of meat processors existing for a longer time, of processors with high turnove rs and a larger amount of farms with own rooms for slaughtering and pr ocessing.