Compaxo may not increase hourly slaughtering rate

Compaxo may not increase the number of slaughters in its pig slaughterhouse in Zevenaar from 650 to 675 per hour. This was decided by the court in The Hague on Wednesday 22 December in summary proceedings instituted by the company. The judge ruled that the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) had good grounds for not agreeing to the company's request. 

In December 2020, Compaxo asked the NVWA for permission to increase the belt speed at the slaughterhouse in Zevenaar to 675 pigs per hour. NVWA wanted to have an audit carried out at the company for this purpose. In February 2021, however, NVWA reported that the application was not being processed further, because questions had been raised in the Dutch Lower House about the belt speed at slaughterhouses.

On 21 July, Minister Schouten of LNV announced a decree that the NVWA was no longer allowed to allow increases in slaughter speed at slaughterhouses. Compaxo wanted to achieve through the courts that the application of the minister's decision would be suspended for the company and that the NVWA would still carry out the audit at the slaughterhouse.

Compaxo was of the opinion that the Minister's decision was incompatible with European law and the general principles of proper administration. However, the judge states that Compaxo has the possibility to appeal the last decision that the NVWA took regarding the company in October of 2021. The company can also start objection and appeal proceedings before the administrative court for the measures requested in the preliminary relief proceedings. 

However, it is noted that Compaxo would be wise not to appeal at this time. After several incidents in the slaughterhouse sector became known last year, there is a lot of social unrest and concern about animal welfare at slaughterhouses. The State is therefore having the exact effects of the belt speed on animal welfare and public health investigated by experts at the moment. According to the judge, it would show a lack of sensitivity if Compaxo would not wait for the results of the ongoing research.

Uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl