Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – Last year, 261 cattle were slaughtered in a mobile slaughter unit near the farm in Hesse. This was announced by the Ministry of the Environment in Wiesbaden on Monday. This semi-mobile slaughter on site is an important step towards more animal welfare in agriculture, because transport to the slaughterhouse often causes particular stress for the animals, explained Minister of Agriculture Priska Hinz (Greens).
In this alternative, a mobile slaughter unit is used. Part of the slaughtering process, specifically the stunning and bleeding, is carried out with it. Further processing steps then take place in the stationary slaughterhouse.
“For small slaughterhouses and for direct marketers with conventional and organic farming methods, slaughtering at the farm of origin can serve as a unique selling point and thus improve economic opportunities,” argued Hinz. Consumers also benefit, because slaughtering in surroundings that are familiar to the animal has a positive effect on the quality of the meat.
The state of Hesse promotes the use of semi-mobile slaughter, for example in the eco-model regions, explained the minister. In addition, since December 2022, the state has made it possible for a project at the University of Leipzig to carry out scientific investigations into various animal welfare and meat hygiene criteria for cattle slaughtered on the move.