Published 19/11/2014

Shut down

Photo ©The Daily Star Lebanon/Hasan Shaaban

We are delighted to hear reports that Karantina slaughterhouse in Lebanon has just been shut down.

Karantina is Beirut’s biggest abattoir where many animals, including European ones, ended their lives in fear and agony. The conditions in Karantina were some of the worst our Investigation Unit has ever documented.

In our investigation last year we witnessed animals being subjected to brutal slaughter conditions. Animals were beaten, dragged by their limbs, had their eye sockets gouged and were suspended from the ceiling for long periods of time before their throats were cut while they were fully conscious.

People speak out

More than 130,000 people signed our petition calling for the abattoir to be shut down. We met with the Lebanese embassy who were overwhelmed by the volume of correspondence they received on the issue and committed to contact Lebanese officials to alert them to the situation.

Our French office coordinated a meeting with an MP who had connections in Lebanon and they told the Environment and Agriculture Minister that they must visit Karantina to see for themselves. When the Ministers visited they described the conditions as ‘catastrophic’.

Food safety scandal

Lebanon’s Health Minister recently announced that several of the country’s most prominent restaurants and supermarkets were selling contaminated meat. The meat was linked back to Karantina and scrutiny of the conditions for animals and related food safety issues mounted.

Karantina is closed

In the past, food safety scandals alone have proven not enough to facilitate a shut down but it has finally been announced that the slaughterhouse has been closed for refurbishment.

Our Campaigns Officer, Pru Elliott said “Thank you to every single person who took action to close Karantina. The pressure you applied means that, for the first time, action is being taken by the Lebanese Government”

“We will continue to work closely with officials in Lebanon to make sure real change for animals is possible.”

Although we suspect the closure of the slaughterhouse will be temporary we will continue to work to ensure real, meaningful change is made for animals.

Take action

E-mail the European Commission and tell them they must end the suffering of all European animals exported to non-EU countries.