Agricultural slaughterhouses in Poland
On 18th February 2020, a new regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of 20 December 2019 on certain veterinary requirements that should be met in the production of animal products in slaughterhouses with low production capacity, located on farms, entered into force. The regulation facilitates the veterinary requirements for slaughterhouses with low production capacity located on farms.
The Polish Regulation is addressed to farmers keeping animals on their farms and interested in developing their activity, by slaughtering the animals or cutting their meat in order to bring the obtained meat onto the market on a small scale.
Agricultural slaughterhouse will be able to consist of even one room, provided that the work organization is very good. Such abattoirs are allowed to slaughter animals kept on the farm where the facility is located, as well as animals of other farmers located in the same or in neighboring district.
Farmers intending to operate the agricultural slaughterhouse, before obtaining a permit for building or adaptation of existing premises, will be required to prepare a technological design of the slaughterhouse and send it to the appropriate District Veterinary Officer (DVO) for approval. After completing the investment process, an application should be submitted to the competent DVO for approval of the plant, at least 30 days before the date of commencement of the planned activity. After the plant has been inspected by DVO and the approval or conditional approval for the slaughterhouse has been obtained, farmers will be able to start operations.
In agricultural slaughterhouses it is be possible to slaughter ungulates (pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, horses), poultry, lagomorphs, ratites or ungulates kept in farm conditions. The Regulation provides for daily and annual limits for the number of animals slaughtered in agricultural slaughterhouses by species or group of animals. The obtained meat is marked with an oval mark and can be placed not only to the Polish but also to the European market.
Agricultural slaughterhouses, like other plants producing food of animal origin, will be subject to supervision and official controls of the Veterinary Service. As in all other slaughterhouses, slaughtered animals will undergo ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections carried out by official veterinarians. In addition, they will be subject to periodic inspections carried out by DVO on the basis of risk analysis. These inspections will include the structure, equipment, procedures ensuring meat safety implemented in the slaughterhouse (GHP, GMP, HACCP). as well as animal welfare requirements.
Source: Polish Veterinary Service