Veterinary Office temporarily closes small meat processing plant after visit by European inspection team

Ljubljana, 10 December

EU veterinary inspection began its five-day visit to Slovenia to examine the implementation of European measures pertaining to food-processing facilities, animal infectious diseases and the system of control over products of animal origin. A tour by a European veterinary inspection team resulted in the temporary shut-down of a small red-meat processing plant. In the area of organization of the Veterinary Office the inspection team established a positive improvement. They were also satisfied with the veterinary training sessions held this year and programme of training sessions for next year. The inspection team also reviewed the regulations on slaughtering at agricultural tourism farms. In this context they also visited a small agricultural tourism slaughterhouse and assessed that it was in conformance with regulations and that sufficient veterinary controls had been performed.

We asked General Manager of the National Veterinary Office Vida Čadonič Špelič if she could tell us what kind of facility was closed.

It is an older, small capacity facility which performs slaughtering activities and was closed for a longer period of time last year, and was reopened this year after Slovenia joined the EU. The owner performed a fast renovation of the facility, but it appears that the renovation was not sufficient, and we then established that it would have to be technically upgraded. At the Veterinary Office we have known for a long time that they are having certain difficulties at the now temporarily closed facility. However, the facility is located in an area where there are not enough meat processing plants, and therefore it was difficult to close it immediately. At the Veterinary Office we have 25 work days to respond and submit additional explanations, at which point the official report for this inspection will be completed.

The European veterinary inspection team was also especially interested in the conditions at five food-processing plants, for which the state has requested a transitional period until the end of this year. What were their findings?

None of these plants will succeed in fulfilling the required conditions for categorization by the end of the year. Some have made improvements, while some have remained in the same condition as they were before, as they are experiencing financial and other difficulties. One of the plants, or the building site for one of them, was visited by the inspection team. They made it clear to us that the transitional period will last up to the end of this year and that thoughts of an eventual extension of the transitional period are a matter of politics. The decision on a possible request for an extension to the transitional period is therefore in the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Is Slovenia the only country in the EU which is experiencing these kinds of problems?

Not at all. There are many such plants in the EU which have not managed to make adjustments despite being given transitional periods. Now it will be necessary to determine which activities it will be possible to fulfil the conditions for, and for what capacity they would be categorized.
In addition to smaller capacity red-meat processing plants, for which they suggested increased supervision, the inspectors also visited higher capacity plants and dairy processing plants.

Thus the inspectors also made inspections of a high capacity red-meat processing plant. What were their findings there?

They established that it was highly technically qualified and that the Veterinary Office performs constant and effective supervision. The inspectors were also satisfied with the conditions at the dairy processing plants which they examined.

Veterinary Office temporarily closes small meat processing plant after visit by European inspection team

More articles from this issue:

Archive