The administrative justice condemned the State for having allowed acts of animal abuse to continue in a slaughterhouse in Aveyron, three years after the broadcast of a video by the association for the defense of animals L214 showing lambs slaughtered in bad conditions.
In a decision rendered on May 4, which the anti-species association welcomed on Wednesday May 10, the Montpellier administrative court ordered the State to pay the sum of 4,500 euros to L214, including 3,000 euros for its “non-pecuniary damage linked to the fault of the State in the inadequacy of its controls of the regulations relating to animal protection by the Arsac slaughterhouse”.
The sequel after the ad
L214, defenders of the animal cause not so fierce!
On the video, a montage of short sequences, we see in particular lambs being slaughtered while they are packed down and apparently poorly immobilized. “Bad practices and infernal cadences lead to the bleeding and hanging of lambs that are still fully conscious”denounced at the time L214.
“Insufficient” controls
However, according to the administrative court, seized in 2020 by L214, these breaches of national and European legislation had been observed in 2016 and 2019 and a formal notice of compliance had been sent to the company managing the slaughterhouse.
But these findings have no “not been the subject of appropriate administrative follow-up or, where appropriate, reporting to the public prosecutor for the most serious of them”notes the administrative court.
Jérôme, garbage collector of meat factories: “We see things that should not exist”
State controls have been “insufficient to prevent the risk of animal abuse even though due to the major non-compliances noted in 2016, special vigilance and monitoring were required”, insists the judge. He also points out that the shortcomings noted by L214 in 2020 are proven and have been confirmed by the National Veterinary and Phytosanitary Investigation Brigade.
The sequel after the ad
“Our surveys show that the services (State veterinarians) are frequently completely failing. Here in Rodez, major non-conformities have persisted since 2016. We are pleased that the administrative court finally condemns the State”reacted Brigitte Gothière, co-founder of L214, quoted in a press release. “We are asking the Ministry of Agriculture to take its responsibilities in this regard”she added.
In June 2020, the ministry in question had suspended the approval of the company managing the slaughterhouse, citing “unacceptable practices”. Contacted by AFP, he had not yet reacted at the end of the morning to the court’s decision.
