‘Zhoghovurd’. Non-Slaughterhouse Killing to Be Banned

‘Zhoghovurd’ newspaper reports that starting from July 1, Armenia will transition to a mandatory slaughterhouse system. This means that from tomorrow, non-slaughterhouse killing will be banned in our republic.

Originally, this ban was scheduled to take effect on January 15, but the government postponed it until July 1 due to protests from meat vendors. It should be noted that all economic operators selling meat must possess veterinary form number 5, which indicates that the animal was slaughtered in a slaughterhouse and provides verified, safe meat. If a meat vendor lacks this veterinary form, they will be fined 300,000 drams.

Strict control over mandatory slaughterhouse killing will be implemented from tomorrow, but it remains to be seen whether the number of slaughterhouses is sufficient or whether all livestock farmers have access to these facilities.

Reports indicate that a slaughterhouse crisis is expected in the Shirak and Vayots Dzor regions. This issue is also concerning for the Food Safety Inspection Body (FSIB). Acting head of the veterinary department of the FSIB, Lilit Sargsyan, informed ‘Zhoghovurd’ that there are 2 operational slaughterhouses in Shirak region and 1 in Vayots Dzor. In Armavir region, there are 14 slaughterhouses providing services. The regions of Gegharkunik, Lori, and Syunik also do not face any slaughterhouse issues.

It is worth noting that months ago, the Food Safety Inspection Body announced that by July 1, around 80 slaughterhouses would be ready in Armenia. However, as of yesterday, ‘Zhoghovurd’ learned that there are currently 45 operational slaughterhouses in our republic, while 91 others are under construction. It turns out that due to the state of emergency, 17 economic operators have not conducted any construction work.