The Belgian Minister of Animal Welfare Ben Weyts has closed a slaughterhouse in Eeklo with immediate effect for serious violations. The management of the slaughterhouse says it feels completely taken by surprise, although it is not denied that there have been problems.
According to him, the reason for the step taken by Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Weyts are various violations that were established by the Animal Welfare Inspectorate in the course of 2020 up to and including last week. There were four serious violations for which an official report was drawn up. The drop was a violation involving violence against animals last week. Weyts: "If you don't want to hear, just feel."
Slaughter at a slower pace
The management of the company feels surprised by the decision. Management argues that they slaughter at a slower pace than many fellow companies. About 1.000 slaughters a week are carried out in the Ryckaert slaughterhouse, of pigs, cows and horses. The company also has a wholesale business. It may still remain open. For the time being, management assumes that the company will be allowed to reopen in the long term.
In recent years, a whole series of slaughterhouses in Belgium have had to deal with temporary or permanent closures due to violations in areas such as hygiene, working conditions and animal welfare. Due to the problems, the government has tightened supervision and appointed additional inspectors.
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.