The city council of Aschaffenburg is insisting on the termination procedure and the eviction action for the operator of the local slaughterhouse. “Negotiations regarding an adjustment or renewal of the terminated lease should not be held,” the city announced on Wednesday. Discussions between the city administration and the management of the slaughterhouse did not lead to the members of the city council restoring trust in the current operating company.
The animal protection organization “Soko Tierschutz” published shocking video footage in the summer. These showed how workers treated pigs and cattle with electric shockers and obviously dismantled living animals. Since then, the public prosecutor’s office has been investigating more than ten suspects.
The Greens in the state parliament again called for better controls on slaughterhouses on Wednesday. In a response from the state government to a Green Party request, it was said that there had been 36 food and animal welfare checks at the Aschaffenburg slaughterhouse in the past five years – by the Food Safety and Veterinary Control Authority (KBLV). Eleven animal welfare violations were identified. “These are violations both in the structural area and in the documentation and slaughter process.”
In addition, there are said to have been daily inspections of the slaughter process by the official veterinarians in Aschaffenburg. Checks for structural defects are carried out every two weeks. An official veterinarian is said to have warned the slaughterhouse about controls. The operator had missed the deadline to clear the slaughterhouse by October 15th. Therefore, an eviction lawsuit is now being prepared. The operator has not yet been able to be reached by dpa for a statement.
The city of Aschaffenburg terminated the slaughterhouse’s lease after a scandal involving alleged animal rights violations. She is the owner of the slaughterhouse site and building. According to the state government, a slaughterhouse in the Miltenberg district that is also in focus because of possible animal welfare violations has been inspected twelve times by the district administration authority in the past five years. Violations in the slaughter process were registered – how many and what type was not known. In addition, additional checks were carried out by the official veterinarians, as the state government informed the Greens.
The operator of the slaughterhouse in the Miltenberg district has now returned its license. “In addition to the operator of the slaughterhouse, several employees of the slaughterhouse, the responsible official veterinarian as well as farmers and livestock dealers are also being investigated,” the Aschaffenburg public prosecutor’s office recently announced. Among other things, it is about possible torturous animal abuse. “The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of 2023/beginning of 2024.”