Ministry receives 280 applications for construction of slaughterhouses
21.02.2020,
18:09
Armenia's Ministry of Economy has received 277 applications seeking permission to build new slaughterhouses, Deputy Minister Tigran Gabrielyan told reporters on Friday.
YEREVAN, February 21. /ARKA/. Armenia's Ministry of Economy has received 277 applications seeking permission to build new slaughterhouses, Deputy Minister Tigran Gabrielyan told reporters on Friday.
On January 15, 2020, home slaughter of livestock became illegal in Armenia. The government said the ban was to prevent the sale of unhealthy or contaminated meat. According to a related government decision, meat selling stores had to have documents certifying that meat sold by them was supplied from licensed slaughterhouses.
However, the measure triggered a wave of protests across many regions of the country. The protesting farmers argued they could not pay for transporting animals to the slaughterhouses and pay for their slaughter. Another argument was that there was not enough abattoirs in the country. The government agreed to postpone the ban until July 1.
“We have drawn a map of locations where we think new slaughterhouses should be built,” the deputy minister said. According to Gabrielyan, there are now 18 slaughterhouses in the country providing services to all and another 20 slaughterhouses which their owners use for their own purposes.
He said there is a demand for the construction of another 36 slaughterhouses. The bulk of slaughterhouses now is in the province of Kotayk and the least number is in Aragatsotn region. “More important is their availability, not the number. Our main task is to build slaughterhouses in those regions where there are no slaughterhouses,” he said.
According to a memorandum signed on January 16 between the Food Safety Inspectorate and the slaughterhouse representatives, the cost of slaughtering a pig at a slaughterhouse is to be 5,000 drams , the cost for slaughtering small cattle is to be 3,500 drams, and the cost of slaughtering cows and oxen is to be 10,000 . ($1 - 478, 35 drams) --0--
On January 15, 2020, home slaughter of livestock became illegal in Armenia. The government said the ban was to prevent the sale of unhealthy or contaminated meat. According to a related government decision, meat selling stores had to have documents certifying that meat sold by them was supplied from licensed slaughterhouses.
However, the measure triggered a wave of protests across many regions of the country. The protesting farmers argued they could not pay for transporting animals to the slaughterhouses and pay for their slaughter. Another argument was that there was not enough abattoirs in the country. The government agreed to postpone the ban until July 1.
“We have drawn a map of locations where we think new slaughterhouses should be built,” the deputy minister said. According to Gabrielyan, there are now 18 slaughterhouses in the country providing services to all and another 20 slaughterhouses which their owners use for their own purposes.
He said there is a demand for the construction of another 36 slaughterhouses. The bulk of slaughterhouses now is in the province of Kotayk and the least number is in Aragatsotn region. “More important is their availability, not the number. Our main task is to build slaughterhouses in those regions where there are no slaughterhouses,” he said.
According to a memorandum signed on January 16 between the Food Safety Inspectorate and the slaughterhouse representatives, the cost of slaughtering a pig at a slaughterhouse is to be 5,000 drams , the cost for slaughtering small cattle is to be 3,500 drams, and the cost of slaughtering cows and oxen is to be 10,000 . ($1 - 478, 35 drams) --0--
