Document type : Article published in Ouest France
Author: Guillaume Le Du
Preview: "Bœuf éthique" (ethical beef), the company founded by Côte d'Or farmer Émilie Jeannin, carried out its first on-farm slaughter on 25 August 2021.
This is a first in France. Following over four years of work and development, the "Ethical Beef" mobile abattoir went into operation this summer. "On 25 August 2021, I took four of my Charolais cows who were grazing in a field on my farm to the waiting area for the abattoir lorry. In the end, only one was slaughtered that day," explains Émilie Jeannin. "But for the past month, all has been running smoothly from a technical point of view."
"We have a full schedule"l
The farmer from Beurizot (Côte d'Or) is in the process of making her dream a reality: to offer on-farm slaughtering so that the animal suffering associated with transport and the stress of being killed in industrial abattoirs can be avoided as much as possible. "We need to transport meat, not living creatures," says the 40-year-old farmer.
Her company, "le Bœuf éthique", which has raised a capital sum of about 1.8 million euros thanks to nine partners ("veterinarians, market gardeners, livestock farmers"), grants and participatory loans, employs thirteen people, five of whom are involved in slaughtering. The lorry and four trailers (slaughter area; changing rooms, offices and veterinary services; carcass hanging; waste storage) are not standing idle. One farm a day. "Our diary is full until Christmas... This is really something people have been waiting for".
Still in its running-in phase, the mobile abattoir slaughters three animals a day. Once it is working at full capacity it should be able to process six animals per day, the minimum to make it profitable. The company is working with 120 breeders in the Franche-Comté region. "The animals are born, raised (GMO-free) and slaughtered on the farm.
The meat, which is matured for a fortnight, is sold under the brand name "le Bœuf éthique" via the company's online shop (www.leboeuf.fr). "Parcels arrive within 24 hours and can be delivered anywhere in France by Chronofresh." Animals that are less stressed, develop fewer toxins: "this grantees higher-quality meat for consumers".
