Document type : Answer to question no. 15015 published in the Official Journal of the French Republic
Authors: question: Béatrice Roullaud (Rassemblement National - Seine-et-Marne). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.
Question: Mrs. Béatrice Roullaud draws the attention of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to the conditions under which animals are killed in abattoirs. The recent scandal exposed by L214, an association that combats animal abuse, in the municipal abattoir of Craon in Mayenne has brought unbearable images into the public domain showing animals still conscious after stunning who are struggling before and after their throats are slit. Cows react to stabs of the knife and guillotine pliers while their front legs, horns or heads are severed. Yet, at this point in the slaughter line, the animals should be dead. This establishment's structural issues and the lack of intervention by the veterinary services have led to very serious and repeated infringements and appalling consequences for the animals. These acts of cruelty, this serious abuse, and the lack of assessment of the state of unconsciousness of animals are unacceptable. And yet this is not the first such case. The Vigan abattoir in the Gard was temporarily closed in February 2016 following videos showing cows being cut up while still alive with an electric saw, another in Mauléon-Licharre was penalized for serious abuse, including a lamb being quartered alive. Other abattoirs have been accused and, more recently, the French government was found guilty by the Administrative Court of Montpellier on May 4, 2023 of the insufficient exercise of controls by national agencies. She therefore asks what measures the Government intends to implement to ensure that abattoirs are properly monitored and controlled by the veterinary services, in order to verify that slaughter operations are carried out in accordance with the regulations in force. She also asks the minister to confirm that all abattoirs do indeed employ an animal welfare officer who is responsible for the technical enforcement of animal protection rules within the establishment, as has been required since the promulgation of the law on the balance of trade relations in the agricultural sector and healthy and sustainable food in November 2018.
Answer: Slaughter conditions in abattoirs are now subject to multiple controls involving both mandatory inspections and voluntary measures implemented by abattoir operators. For example, European Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires the presence of an animal protection officer who must be able to require abattoir staff to take the necessary corrective measures to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, government officials (veterinarians and authorised auxiliary staff) regularly audit the conditions under which animals are slaughtered, report any failures of compliance and implement appropriate administrative and criminal measures. Third-party audits are also carried out on the animal welfare aspect by of slaughter by customers following commercial specification schedules. In addition, for several years now, the sector has operated a system of voluntary animal welfare audits in abattoirs, using an assessment grid developed in collaboration with animal protection associations. Last, some associations, such as the Œuvre d'Assistance aux Bêtes d'Abattoirs (OABA), have their own auditors who are invited by abattoirs to carry out an audit of slaughter conditions. It should be remembered that slaughter professionals are those primarily responsible for ensuring that animals are properly treated, supported by the mandatory duties of veterinary inspection agents concerning the on-site monitoring of abattoirs. Each animal must be inspected prior to slaughter. However, the conditions under which animals are handled, from unloading to killing, are not subject to continuous inspection by the government agencies. Compliance with animal welfare requirements is checked at least twice yearly by in-house inspection services, taking the form of comprehensive audits. In addition, internal checks carried out by operators are also audited. Last, physical checks at slaughter stations are regularly carried out. Over the past two years, additional measures have been taken by the administration to strengthen the monitoring of animal welfare compliance in abattoirs and the implementation of appropriate administrative or criminal follow-up actions, targeting those establishments whose slaughter procedures require improvement. Last, in July 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture brought in its "abattoir plan" to ensure the strict application of regulatory requirements, including those concerning animal protection during slaughter, involving support for the work necessary to improve practices [181 abattoirs received €115 million in support], the strengthening of local abattoir networks, reinforcement of controls with a rapid intervention force and generalized controls throughout France and implementation of appropriate follow-up to controls in conjunction with prefects. In order to extend this momentum, in July 2023 the Ministry of Agriculture launched an approach involving professional sectors and local authorities to preserve the relevant network at the level of each territory and thus guarantee the sustainability of livestock sectors. The 2024 Finance Act provides for the implementation of a public guarantee on €50 million in outstanding loans, to support slaughterhouses of strategic interest for a sector and/or a production area.
