"It won't work entirely without bureaucracy. Bureaucratic requirements are annoying, however, when they provide no benefit or, even worse, force craft businesses into bureaucratic contortions, even though they are actually tailored to industrial operations," says Herbert Dohrmann. (Photo: © German Butchers' Association)
Read aloud:
1 November 2019
For the President of the German Butchers' Association, Herbert Dohrmann, bureaucracy is not bad per se, but only when it is of no use.
Herbert Dohrmann has been President of the German Butchers' Association (DFV) since 2016. The association represents approximately 13.000 master butchers with approximately 8.000 branches and 5.000 mobile sales vehicles. According to the DFV, more than 140.000 people work in the German butcher trade. Dohrmann speaks with the Handwerksblatt about bureaucratic burdens, the shortage of skilled workers, and the appreciation of animal products.
DHB: Bureaucratic burdens are a particularly big issue in the food industry. What particularly bothers you in your day-to-day operations?
Dohrmann: Perhaps I should first speak out in favor of bureaucracy, because in many cases, regulations actually make sense. And we won't be able to do without bureaucracy entirely. However, bureaucratic regulations are annoying when they are of no use or, even worse, when they force skilled tradesmen into bureaucratic contortions, even though they are actually designed for industrial enterprises.
DHB: How is it possible that there are always laws that ignore business practice?
Dohrmann: This usually happens when legislators are unaware of the company's practices or are unwilling to acknowledge them. In the former case, an association can effectively remedy the situation through education, as was recently the case with the new cash register security regulation, which will affect all butcher businesses without exception. Several discussions and an on-site visit, which we organized together with the ZDH in Berlin, have already helped to avert unnecessary, and above all, substantial, financial burdens on the businesses. Things get unpleasant when politicians try to push through regulations that are impractical because they are ideologically driven. In such cases, factual arguments usually no longer work.
DHB: Will the third bureaucracy reduction law passed by the Cabinet bring noticeable relief for meat processing companies?
Dohrmann: At least, that's what we hope. However, in our opinion, the steps taken so far have not been sufficiently forceful and courageous to provide real relief for our businesses.
Operations management
Operations management
Operations management
DHB: Can even more intensive representation of the interests of the entire skilled trades and trade associations help to assert more of their own concerns?
Dohrmann: Of course. The entire trade is truly well-positioned when it comes to advocacy, and I believe the ZDH does very good work. Furthermore, the associations are exceptionally well-positioned to address specific specialist topics competently and in depth. This combination is what makes our organization so effective, and we should definitely maintain its effectiveness.
DHB: How much is the butcher trade affected by the increasing shortage of skilled workers in many areas?
Dohrmann: First of all, I note that everyone is currently looking for skilled workers. And it's by no means as if our businesses have been sleeping in this area; the economic development for the butcher trade has been positive for years, and along with sales, the number of staff in the businesses has also grown. But so has their capacity utilization, because we aren't finding nearly as many employees as we need.
DHB: What can companies do to attract enough young talent?
Dohrmann: Facing the intense competition for good trainees and establishing and maintaining a reputation as a good trainer and employer in the region. Even in our region, there's still a big gap between those companies that—despite a shortage of trainees—still find enough people and those that struggle. Some actively recruit young talent, investing in communication and the quality of training, while others struggle less. Our association supports both; we've significantly expanded our recruitment efforts in recent years.
DHB: Climate protection is currently one of the most important issues in politics and society. Meat consumption also plays a role. Is your company's sales declining because more people are avoiding meat, or is it the other way around, because the butcher trade offers more sustainable products than, for example, supermarket chains?
Dohrmann: The fact is: business is going really well for most butchers, and we're not seeing any signs of consumer restraint. And, of course, we're following current social debates – not just since they became so emotionally charged and widespread, but for years as part of our mission statement discussion. In this context, we welcome the critical examination of animal-based products, as we believe it leads to greater appreciation. It's also not impossible that, as a result of this development, more people will go to specialist butchers because their questions are more likely to be answered there than in the anonymous supermarket. From my own experience, however, I can tell you that climate protection and everything associated with it don't really play a major role in daily customer contact. Sustainability, regionality, and trust, however, do.
The questions were asked by Lars Otten.
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