Document type: Answer to o a question, published in th Journal Officiel de la République Française
Authors: question: Mr. Jean Laussucq (Paris (2nd district) - Ensemble pour la République). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Question: Mr. Jean Laussucq questions the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry on the operational failures observed in certain French abattoirs, particularly in light of the recent investigation by L214 into the Maurienne abattoir. This investigation revealed extremely serious failures in practice, highlighting, in particular, cases where conscious animals still able to feel pain are slaughtered, or are even butchered while still alive. This abattoir supplies Super U, Intermarché and E.Leclerc stores in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, as well as local butchers, and also sells meat directly from the farms of origin. Since the promulgation of the French Law on a level playing field in the agricultural and food sector, and healthy, sustainable food accessible to all, each abattoir has been required to appoint an Animal Welfare Officer (RPA), responsible for ensuring that animal protection rules are applied. Regular audits are also mandatory to ensure that operations are organized so as to comply with the principle of sparing animals "any avoidable pain, distress or suffering". However, these legal provisions would appear to be largely insufficient, as demonstrated by the case of the Maurienne abattoir, which clearly fails to comply with these legal regulations. Mr. Olivier Falorni's proposed law of November 9, 2016, which set out to call into question the conditions under which animals destined for human consumption are slaughtered in French abattoirs, would appear to have had the measure of these failures. It would be useful for the government to take into account the right of parliamentarians to visit abattoirs. He would like to know whether discussions are currently underway to put an end to certain practices that are contrary to the legal requirements for abattoirs.
Answer: It should first be pointed out that, despite the sometimes shocking nature of the images, and although anomalies in animal handling and slaughter operations may be observable that justify the suspension of operations at the Maurienne abattoir, the L214 video does not show animals being cut up alive, contrary to what has been reported in the press. There are currently 226 abattoirs in France. The number of abattoirs has fallen by 16% over the last six years. This decline in numbers is due not only to the difficult economic climate facing the slaughter industry, but also to the closure by the authorities of abattoirs that fail to comply with the regulations where there is no prospect of bringing them up to standard. Corrently, slaughtering is a free and competitive market activity, carried out for the most part by private operators, who hold the prime responsibility for ensuring compliance with the regulations. However, each abattoir closure has an impact on local and regional coverage, and on the possibility for livestock farmers to have their animals slaughtered close to their farms. Nevertheless, the slaughter of animals is one of the most closely monitored economic activities in any sector. Indeed, government agents are permanently on hand to carry out checks during all phases of slaughter. This monitoring activity currently employs the equivalent of 1,265 full-time staff. Departmental population protection (DPP) officers are present in abattoirs on a daily basis, carrying out regular checks on meat quality, production hygiene and animal welfare. In addition, full animal protection inspections are carried out at least once a year, or more frequently if the abattoir is identified as posing a particular risk. These inspections are followed up by reports and, where necessary, lead to proportionate administrative and legal actions, up to and including the closure of the establishment.
The French food authority (Direction Générale de l'Alimentation, DGAL) monitors abattoirs at national level and, since early 2022, it has increased its capacity for intervention by setting up a national inspection unit to support local authorities in the most complex cases. This force can be mobilized at the request of the Departmental Prefect, who alone can take the decision to close an abattoir. Through this system, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty is fully committed to ensuring the application of the three key realms of action that were defined since 2021 for abattoirs: provision of support to sustain investment and maintain a relevant network of abattoirs; day-to-day monitoring that is strengthened where needed following risk analysis; and the application of proportionate penalties in line with the nature and seriousness of recorded non-compliance. With regard to actions taken by the industry, third-party audits are carried out on animal protection measures by the clients of abattoirs as part of the conditions of business. In addition, in the past few years, the industry has set up a system of voluntary animal protection in abattoirs using an evaluation grid developed in collaboration with animal protection associations. Last, some associations, such as OABA (œuvre d'assistance aux bêtes d'abattoirs), have their own auditors who are invited by abattoirs to carry out an assessment of the conditions of killing. Because these actions are not widely publicised, citizens tend to view abattoirs as "black boxes", despite the fact that society has accorded abattoir operators the right to slaughter livestock for meat production. The high ethical stakes involved in this right to kill sentient living beings for society's food needs must be accompanied, for the people's elected representatives, by the possibility of ensuring that this right is being exercised properly. Unlike prisons, most abattoirs operate under private law. A legal expert report was therefore requested to assess whether this right of third-party access to abattoirs runs counter to the principle of private property. The Ministry of Agriculture is particularly aware of the suspicion with which abattoirs are currently regarded, but is also fully conscious of the indispensable place they occupy in the food chain, and it remains committed to providing the complete transparency necessary to maintain the confidence of French citizens concerning slaughter activities. The survival of the meat industry depends on it.
