A draft resolution urging the government to build a “much-needed” abattoir in the Algarve was presented last week in parliament by left-wing Bloco de Esquerda (BE). The idea is also backed by AMAL, the association of the region’s 16 borough councils.
As BE explains, the Algarve has been without an abattoir since 2007, when the region’s only facility in Loulé was closed due to its rundown condition. Renovations needed for it to reopen never went ahead and since then livestock producers have had the expensive logistical headache of transporting animals hundreds of kilometres to abattoirs in the Alentejo.
The long trips animals have had to endure have been “condemned by several entities”, says BE, citing particularly the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and the European Food Safety Authority.
