France will allocate 115 million euros from the large EU corona recovery fund to refurbish, modernize, and expand slaughterhouses. There will also be increased inspections to ensure compliance with animal welfare and livestock transportation regulations.
The underlying idea is to develop short supply chains, encourage the consumption of meat produced in France, and improve animal welfare, said Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie.
France has an extensive network of more than 1,000 slaughterhouses. The primary goal is to improve working conditions within slaughterhouses. The French government aims with this plan to actively contribute to the modernization of these facilities, according to the LAN network of the Dutch embassy in Paris.
A total of 123 projects spread across the country have been selected, including 44 projects focused on video surveillance systems and the creation of a first mobile slaughterhouse called ‘Le Boeuf Ethique.’
Because the misconduct of a few should never cast a bad light on an entire profession, the French minister urged all regional authorities this month to take stronger action in slaughterhouses where animal welfare demands it. Over the past year, six slaughterhouses were closed. Four of them were allowed to resume activities after adjustments, while two remain closed.
The modernization of the Tradival slaughterhouse in Fleury-les-Aubrais in the Centre-Val de Loire region includes an additional 2 million euros of support for a project worth more than 10 million euros aimed at the complete redesign of the site, increasing capacity (pork production), and expanding export capacity (especially for the Asian market).
The Keranna poultry slaughterhouse, an important link in developing the Breton meat poultry industry, will receive two million euros. This significant investment aims to increase the production capacity and competitiveness of the plant. It will also create 80 jobs.