The prefecture of Dordogne assures the public in an official statement, saying that the video does not seem to prove any nonconformities.
The video, broadcast midweek, was filmed by the Dutch group called VanDrie at the Sobeval de Boulazac slaughterhouse between November and December 2019.
The slaughterhouse in question has allocated 70% of its activity towards standard slaughter, and 30% for Kosher and Halal.
It is a medium-sized slaughterhouse on a national level, but it is also the largest in Dordogne with 3.400 calves killed each week, which adds up to 24.000 tonnes of meat.
- Calves are fully conscious when bleeding to death -
In terms of standard slaughter, the L214 criticises the fact the calves are not entirely immobilised when knocked unconscious, which goes against standard regulations, and results in animals being seriously injured whilst still conscious.
Most calves are killed before they lose consciousness - the video shows they are still conscious when on the slaughter chains or whilst bleeding out, according to the association.
In light of these offenses, L214 has announced they will be suing the slaughterhouse at the prosecutor of the Republic of Périgueux for animal cruelty and they have demanded its immediate closure.
The association clarifies that, in fact, the slaughterhouse is certified for slaughter practices respecting the animals’ well-being and is also subject to regular controls by a government team, including two veterinarians.
The video does show particular cases, including one instance in which one of the operators has to repeatedly knock a calf out as its head is still seen to be moving.
Frédéric Piron, director of the DDCSPP (the departmental direction of social cohesion and population protection) explained to the AFP that chinstraps preventing calves from moving their heads have actually been installed. He further highlights that the incident filmed by the association shows a particular case, which is not the norm, according to a veterinarian.
Sobeval slaughterhouse did not provide any comments at time of writing.
