How can we reconcile eating meat and protecting animals ?
Carcasses hanging in a French
slaughterhouse
Crushed chicks. Cattle and pigs bled while still alive. New videos released by L214, an animal rights association, depict unbearable violence.
Three million animals are killed every day in French slaughterhouses, including sheep, cattle and poultry, which makes France the biggest European meat producer.
Indeed, a video posted online by the French association L214 on October 14th, 2015 concerning slaughtering conditions in Alès gave rise to many protests and petitions, particularly from proponents of the animal cause. Numerous activists filed complaints following the publication of the video, and the slaughterhouse was temporarily closed due to public pressure. Later, Pierre Hirard, quality controller for a French slaughterhouse, revealed that this that this type of mistreatment was becoming more and more frequent. He also added that these infractions could lead to human health risks.
Scandal after scandal, horror after horror, L214 is lifting the veil on the reality of slaughterhouses, particularly in Le Vigan and more recently in Limoges. Animal mistreatment seems to have become more prevalent with the increase in meat consumption in France.
As production becomes faster and more efficient, animal well-being seems to have been forgotten. But in April 2017, for the first time, two employees from the Alès slaughterhouse were sentenced for “acts of cruelty towards animals.” Both employees have been fined 600€ and received eight-month suspended jail sentences. Nevertheless, one of them testified about the difficult working conditions within slaughterhouses: “We live death 5 days a week...The pace is so unbearable that any animal which resists you becomes your enemy... We are under a lot of pressure.”
The revelation of these savage practices led to the creation of a parliamentary commission on animal slaughter conditions. On September 20th, 2016, the commission returned its report. Among its suggestions: the implementation of video surveillance inside each establishment, raising awareness, and improving staff training. Alongside this measure, many MPs and Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Le Foll advise “the compulsory presence of a veterinary agent in slaughterhouses with more than fifty employees” .
Discussions are continuing between animal rights associations and slaughterhouse trade unions. At the same time, L214 has announced that it will go on publishing its shocking videos in order to obtain better animal protection legislation.
Alice François & Thomas Sabatier
Alice François & Thomas Sabatier
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