Around 40 to 50 cattle are being slaughtered every week to supply customers at Traverso Butchery, but the declining number of local cattle has forced the owner, Marco Traverso, to sell his long-running business

Mr Traverso told VBTC News that although demand for beef has increased, the number of available cattle has fallen sharply, making it difficult to keep up with supply.

He says that in previous years, his farm held around 3,000 to 3,200 cattle, but that number has now dropped to about 1,000.

“Years ago I had around 3,000 cows. Then the dry season came, demand increased, and I had to keep supplying the butcher. Now I’m left with around 1,000 cows. I don’t have enough, so I have to buy from other farmers in Santo, Vila, or anywhere I can find. The number of cows has dropped a lot, but demand is high and production is very low. In my shop alone, we use around 40–50 cows a week — it’s a big number.”

Mr Traverso has owned the butchery for 23 years, but says it is now time for him to focus full-time on developing his farm at Rentapao.

“I have to develop the land — more pasture, more cattle. It’s a big thing for Vanuatu and I’m sad to see cattle numbers drop like this because it affects jobs and the economy.”

Workers at the butchery say they are busy every day trying to meet orders.

Nawen Fernand, a staff member, says:

“We receive around 10 cows per week and around 35 veal. In one day, that’s about 5 big cows or 10 veal.”

Long-time staff member, Naomi Frank, who has worked at the butchery for nearly 15 years, adds:

“We need more people and more suppliers because the demand is high.”

The butchery has now been sold and is operating under a new name — La Boucherie — with a new business owner in town.