Archive Article: 2000/03/17
uFRANCE faced heavy criticism this week for allowing the ritual slaughter of thousands of sheep during the annual Eid El Kebir Muslim festival. Despite the practice being outlawed under the 1995 European Slaughter Directive, sheep continue to be killed in open air sites.
uIRISH farm minister, Joe Walsh, has hit back at claims by the Irish Farmers Association that cattle are being systematically downgraded in the countrys abattoirs, leading to lost income. A statement from Mr Walsh this week said that assessment was fully in line with EU regulations, while quality had steadily improved in Ireland. Last year saw a 5% increase in the number of U and R grade steers and a 10% fall in P steers.
uENVIRONMENTALISTS have reacted angrily to French plans to allow farmers in the Alps to shoot wolves if they threaten their sheep. According to a Reuters report, just 30 wolves remain in France and they are a protected species. But the ministry of agriculture is considering lifting this protection, following complaints from farmers about high sheep losses.
uPITHING in abattoirs is to be banned in France following a recommendation by the food standards agency, AFSSA, this week. Pithing involves inserting a flexible rod in a cows brain immediately after stunning to stop the reflex kicking. The agency fears this may result in the scattering of BSE-infected tissue to other parts of the carcass. *