The Bègles slaughterhouse, near Bordeaux, inaugurated this Friday, would be unlike any other in France. The Group of Girondin Breeders (GEG)which brings together 120 short circuit producers, is committed to a “charter of good practice, exemplarity and animal welfare” to provide animals with “optimized accommodation conditions, with corridors, cubicles and spacious parks”.
He must also respect a slaughter “with reduced rates and prior stunning” of the animals or broadcast, in the background, “familiar sounds of nature (birdsong, running water)”.
“Showing everything is in our interest”
The establishment has a glazed reception room overlooking the slaughter hall and will be open to the public, in particular on the occasion of Heritage Days, as stipulated in the “transparency and communication” section of the charter.
“Showing everything is in our interest,” said slaughterhouse director Mathieu Viengkham. “People imagine things, rely on the images of L214 (association for the defense of animals which regularly denounces, with supporting videos, the practices of certain slaughterhouses). Here, the cadence makes it possible to work properly”.
A monitoring committee, set up with the town hall of Bègles, Bordeaux Métropole, the New Aquitaine region and the State, must ensure compliance with the charter, the first of its kind between a production sector and communities according to the signatories.
The slaughterhouse covers 1,700 m2, including 300 m2 for a meat recovery unit and a direct sales store. Operational since April 2021, it cost 5.2 million euros, two-thirds of which was financed by the GEG.
It displays “low” slaughter rates – 4 to 5 cattle per hour – allowing “staff to work in very good conditions, without stress, either for humans or for animals”, says the GEG (70 employees, 15 million euros in turnover).