Poultry slaughter­houses suffer from tight supply of CO2

Poultry slaughterhouses in the Netherlands are clearly feeling the effects of a tight supply of CO2, said chairman Gert-Jan Oplaat of the association of the Dutch poultry processing industry Nepluvi. "It varies per slaughterhouse because of the duration of contracts, but some companies are currently paying huge amounts of extra per week due to the increased price of CO2."

Poultry slaughterhouses use CO2 for stunning broilers, and it is also used as a refrigerant in the storage and transport of poultry meat. Because Yara in Sluiskil has reduced fertiliser production by 75%, much less CO2 is available. The CO2 used by slaughterhouses is a residual stream from fertiliser production.

Phasing out water bath

In view of the dire situation, Oplaat is happy to make another point. "I would warn Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to be cautious about phasing out the water bath as an option to stun poultry before slaughter. Because with that, you possibly still have a back-up. Because if that is no longer there in the worst case scenario, then no more poultry can be slaughtered at all."

Source: Poultryweb