Many shortcomings in German slaughterhouses

The majority of the slaughterhouses in the German state of Lower Saxony get off badly after an unannounced inspection. At 14 of the 18 slaughterhouses, inspectors have identified shortcomings in recent months.

The Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture reports agarheute that the shortcomings range from documentation errors to animal welfare issues. Serious shortcomings were observed during the stunning process at 2 slaughterhouses.

In Germany, checks at slaughterhouses have been stepped up, mainly due to the various abuses at European slaughterhouses. The implementation of this is in the hands of Laves, the German equivalent of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

Minister wants camera surveillance
For Barbara Otte-Kinast, the agriculture minister of Lower Saxony, the control results are a reason to increase the supervision of the slaughterhouses. She therefore advocates camera surveillance and is working on a private member's bill for this.

In terms of slaughter numbers, Lower Saxony is one of the largest federal states in Germany. Since the state borders on the Netherlands, many Dutch pigs are also slaughtered.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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