From Iceland — New Zealanders Take Part In Sheep Slaughter

New Zealanders Take Part In Sheep Slaughter

Published September 7, 2012

A group of New Zealanders who have come to Iceland each fall to take part in the annual sheep slaughter have returned.
Now that autumn is upon us, thousands of sheep across the country are being shipped off to slaughterhouses for the final stage of their journey into the kitchens of Icelanders and consumers overseas alike. Vísir reports that among those helping out are a group of New Zealanders who have come to Iceland many times before for this purpose.
The New Zealanders will be working at the Selfoss slaughterhouse Sláturfélags Suðurlands, as they have done before. By all accounts they are reportedly hard workers who get along well with the staff, both on and off the clock.
Vísir also makes a point to mention that these foreigners are not stealing any jobs from the locals – fewer and fewer Icelanders want to take part in the slaughtering process itself, such as there is actually a shortage of available workers for the job.
It is estimated that some 600,000 sheep will be slaughtered this year.

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