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business Wednesday 4 november 2020
Scaled-back Thanksgiving plans leave turkey farmers in limbo

By DEE-ANN DURBIN capita consumption of tur-
AP Business Writer key nearly doubled over
For the turkey industry, this the 1980s, peaking at 14.4
Thanksgiving is a guessing pounds per person in 1996,
game. according to Mark Jordan,
Millions of Americans are executive director of LEAP
expected to have scaled- Market Analytics in Jones-
down celebrations amid boro, Arkansas.
the pandemic, heeding of- But interest in turkey has
ficial warnings against trav- been steadily falling, thanks
el and large indoor gath- in part to price increases
erings. That leaves anxious five years ago when flocks
turkey farmers and grocers were hit by bird flu. Annual
scrambling to predict what consumption is now around
people will want on their 12 pounds, Jordan said.
holiday tables. Turkey sales have even
Kroger — the nation's larg- been falling at Thanksgiv-
est grocery chain — said ing as consumers explore
its research shows 43% alternatives, according to
of shoppers plan to cel- Nielsen data. Last Novem-
ebrate Thanksgiving only ber, Americans spent $643
with those in their immedi- million on turkey, down
ate household. It has pur- Turkeys are shown in a pen at Root Down Farm in Pescadero, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. 3.5% from the previous
chased more turkeys than Associated Press year. They spent $1.9 billion
usual — in all sizes — but it's on beef, which was up 4%.
also predicting an increase they think customers will ing that still happens," Boies more leftovers." And they spent $12 million
in demand for alterna- be looking for. Dede Boies said. Nancy Johnson Horn of — or more than double the
tives, including ham, pork raises heritage breed tur- Butterball — which typically Queens, New York, usually prior year — on alternatives
roast and seafood. Kroger keys at Root Down Farm in sells 30% of America's 40 shares a big turkey with her like plant-based meat.
also expects to see more Pescadero, California. The million Thanksgiving turkeys in-laws, her parents and her Jordan thinks the uncer-
demand for plant-based turkeys she sells for Thanks- — said it's expecting more own family of five. But Horn, tainty about Thanksgiving
meats, like a vegan roast giving were born in May, so gatherings, but it's not con- who writes The Mama Ma- demand will hurt groceries
stuffed with mushrooms she has spent months think- vinced people will want ven blog, said that gather- hardest. If they discount
and squash. ing about how the corona- smaller turkeys. Its research ing won't happen this year turkeys, they can sell them
It's not always easy to pivot. virus might impact the holi- shows that 75% of consum- because her kids are at- but it will hurt profits. If they
Angela Wilson, the owner days. ers plan to serve the same tending school in-person keep prices high and con-
of Avedano's Holly Park Boies decided to harvest size turkey or a larger turkey and she is worried about sumers pass, they'll be stuck
Market in San Francisco, or- some turkeys early this year. than they did last year. spreading the virus. with a lot of turkeys.
dered turkeys last year for It's a gamble, because the Butterball says about half "As much as it hurts me, I "I don't see many ways that
this Thanksgiving. She can't birds gain a lot of fat and its turkeys will be in the 10- will have to cook myself they win this holiday sea-
cancel the order, so they're flavor in their final few 16 lb. range and half will this year," she said. She's son," Jordan said.
still coming in. weeks, but she figures cus- be in the 16-24 lb. range, not sure what will be on the The uncertainty may well
But Wilson said this Thanks- tomers will want smaller the same as usual. Anyone menu. She's only cooked see a repeat at Christmas
giving might be busier than birds. She's also offering looking for a specific size a whole turkey once in her — both in the U.S. and be-
in the past, since customers more chickens and ducks. should plan to shop early, life and she's never made yond.
who usually go out of town "We've invested so much said Rebecca Welch, se- mashed potatoes. Christmas turkeys are a sta-
will be staying home. She's time and energy and love nior brand manager for This Thanksgiving comes ple in Britain, where turkey
also stocking up on smaller into these birds, and the seasonal at Butterball. at an already tenuous farmers are also bracing
birds like quail and game whole point is that they go "Don't be afraid to go big," time for the $4.3 billion for slimmed-down festivi-
hen. and they are celebrated she said. "It's just as easy to U.S. turkey industry. Thanks ties after the government
Some farmers are mak- with people for these great cook a large turkey as it is to better technology for told people not to meet in
ing tweaks based on what meals. We're just really hop- a smaller one, and it means carving breast meat, per groups of more than six.q
KLM pilots agree to pay cuts to secure bailout for airline

THE HAGUE, Netherlands amid the pandemic. The stra said after the pilots
(AP) — Pilots with Dutch package is made up of a 1 committed to the cuts.
national airline KLM agreed billion-euro loan and 2.4 bil- KLM said in a statement
Tuesday to accept pay lion euros in guarantees for Tuesday that the pilot's la-
cuts for as long as the carri- bank loans. bor union had joined sev-
er needs a multibillion euro On Saturday, Dutch Fi- en other unions in signing
government coronavirus nance Minister Wopke a so-called "commitment
bailout, the pilots union Hoekstra said he was halt- clause" on pay cuts.
and KLM announced. ing the state aid because Hoekstra said that clearing
The decision clears the not all of KLM's 30,000 staff the way for the govern-
way for the government to had committed to accept ment aid was "an impor-
agree to free up the next pay cuts for the duration of tant step," but warned that
instalment of a 3.4 billion- the aid package, expect- the aviation sector still fac-
euro ($3.96 billion) lifeline ed to be five years. es turbulent times amid the In this Sept. 30, 2003 file photo, an Air France jumbo jet rolls
behind the tail of a KLM Royal Dutch airliner at Charles de Gaulle
to help KLM survive the "It's good that this hurdle global pandemic.q airport in Roissy, north of Paris.
sharp downturn in air travel has been cleared," Hoek- Associated Press