Beef slaughter put on hold for a week while abattoir is upgraded

The slaughtering of cattle has been put off for the week as the abattoir is being upgraded but pig slaughter is unaffected by the works.

Slaughtering at the Gozo abattoir has also been stopped completely while works are being carried out to bring it up to EU standards. It is expected to start again in two to three months, chief veterinary officer Lino Vella said.

Mr Vella confirmed that beef slaughtering in Malta was not carried out last Monday, the day when it usually takes place. He said equipment was being replaced to make the slaughtering more efficient. Mr Vella said that between 80 and 100 cows and bulls were slaughtered every week, although the number sometimes went up to 120, according to demand and supply.

The slaughtering would take place as usual this Monday, and double the usual number of slaughters will be carried out, since no slaughtering will take place the following Monday.

Mr Vella said the abattoir in Malta had been approved by the EU, but some upgrading still needed to be done. An investment of Lm350,000 was made between last year and this year, he said.

On the other hand, he explained, the Gozo slaughterhouse was a low capacity one, and it did not have the same equipment as the one in Malta. He stressed that the Gozo slaughterhouse would be upgraded to EU standards.

Mr Vella said that around 100 pigs are slaughtered in Gozo every week, while cattle are usually brought to the abattoir in Malta. Between 2,200 and 2,400 pigs are slaughtered in Malta every week.