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Vidéo publiée par l’association L214 sur l’abattoir de Cuiseaux (71)

By October 28, 2021November 10th, 2021No Comments

Document type : Press release from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Author: Julien Denormandie's Press Office

Preview: The L214 action group has published a video containing images that are likely to have been filmed between February and May 2021 in the Bigard abattoir in Cuiseaux (71).

The images show a number of clear breaches, including the use of an electric prod on the head of a bovine animal (in breach of Regulation 1099/2009), and other possible failures in compliance, such as the slaughter of pregnant females beyond the permitted term and in the course of ritual slaughter.

It is anyway the case that any agent recruited by a Departmental Directorate to work in an abattoir must follow a qualifying course of training, which may take the form of a tutorial under the supervision of a veterinarian or an experienced professional, and that only approved personnel are authorised to carry out inspections at key points in the chain that demand a certain level of technical expertise (ante-mortem inspection in an abattoir, slaughter and the measuring of unconsciousness levels in an animal, inspection of carcasses). The video suggests that these procedures were not followed.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Julien DENORMANDIE, has therefore ordered a thorough investigation of the practices of this abattoir. This comprehensive inspection of the business will be carried out without delay with the support of the Force d'Intervention Nationale en Abattoir, which was recently created to assist local police authorities in such situations. It will be carried out tomorrow, Thursday 28 October.

The Minister will take all necessary measures, including sanctions, based on the findings of this inspection, in conjunction with the French Directorate General for Food.

The Minister's position has always been very clear: "if breaches are demonstrated to have occurred, they must be strictly punished, so as not to bring opprobrium on an entire profession". Last July, the Minister not only announced a plan to strengthen controls in abattoirs, adding to those already in place, but also a major investment plan. With a budget of €115 million, this measure from the France Relance plan has already seen successful applications from more than 150 abattoir modernisation projects throughout the country.

Article commenting on the same events published in Le Monde on 27 October 2021 : Infiltrée quatre mois comme contrôleur en abattoir, L214 dénonce les carences des inspections vétérinaires

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