Dutch figures highlight problems in slaughterhouses; compromised food safety

The Dutch food agency identified 5,700 possible violations in red meat and poultry slaughterhouses in the first half of 2022.

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said this resulted in 401 written warnings or fines. Most of the problems found, in the more than 23,600 controls from January to June 2022, were related to hygiene or animal welfare.

Violations include 70 written warnings and 62 fines for red meat slaughterhouses, and 147 warnings and 122 fines for poultry sites. However, not all of these potential deficiencies have been established and some are subject to appeal.

Warnings and fines were reduced for red meat slaughterhouses compared to the same period in 2021 and from July to December 2021, despite more controls. They also fell in poultry facilities compared to the two previous periods.

hygiene failures
Under the theme of food safety, four areas are covered: hygienic work, animal by-products, microbiological standards and traceability. A total of 119 violations were established at red meat sites, including 70 written warnings. There were 49 violations deserving of a fine, of which 24 have not yet been resolved because the operator filed an objection or appeal. The number of non-compliances has remained constant in recent periods, the majority related to hygienic work.

For poultry slaughterhouses, 224 violations were observed and 146 resulted in a warning. There were 78 violations that gave rise to a fine, of which 33 have not yet been settled because the operator filed an appeal. Most of the violations are related to hygienic work.

Supervising veterinarians and inspectors intervene if there are deficiencies and make adjustments if necessary. This is to prevent animal welfare or food safety from being compromised. For example, the slaughter line may be temporarily closed. This allows the slaughterhouse to rectify an existing violation or avoid non-compliance.

Gerard Bakker, NVWA Inspector General, said: “The figures show that slaughterhouses are currently not taking enough responsibility to ensure animal welfare and food safety. It goes wrong too often and needs to be improved. The change required and the attitude of the sector must come from the industry itself. Where the business community falls short, we step in.”

The 39 large slaughterhouses in the Netherlands are under the permanent supervision of the NVWA.

Slower slaughter rates are required
Earlier this month, the NVWA withdrew the high-speed slaughter permit for a poultry facility in Limburg. The site, which was not named, has also been placed under stricter scrutiny after corrective actions and reporting of findings did not lead to sufficient improvement in processes.

The agency found several hygiene and animal welfare violations at the company in recent months, including animals pressing against each other when unloading shipping containers.

Plants that slaughter at high speed require a specific permit and must comply with hygiene and animal welfare requirements.

The slaughterhouse had permission to slaughter 7,500 broilers per hour. Due to the suspension, you can now trade at the general maximum rate of 6,000 per hour. The maximum permitted slaughter rate for broilers in the Netherlands is 13,500 per hour.

The site has five months to make improvements. You must meet the requirements for a consecutive three-month period to be allowed to cull at a higher rate. If this does not happen, the permission to accelerate slaughter rates could be revoked for good. Company approval could also be suspended.

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