Butchers and Livestock Farmers Protest in Front of Government

Livestock farmers and butchers have gathered again outside the government building. The reason for this protest is the government’s decision regarding the sale of meat.

As of January 15 of this year, the government’s decision that the slaughter of animals must occur in slaughterhouses has come into effect, and the meat for sale must have documentation confirming it was slaughtered in a slaughterhouse.

Furthermore, on January 16, the Food Safety Inspection Body issued a press release indicating that a meeting had occurred between the FSIB and representatives of about thirty slaughterhouses, during which discussions took place and a memorandum was signed.

According to the memorandum, operators involved in the slaughter of agricultural animals are obligated to transport live animals from owners to slaughterhouses and the resulting animal-derived products within a 30 km radius for free if the number of animals is three or more. If there is one animal, the cost will be 3,000 AMD, for pigs it will be a maximum of 5,000 AMD, for small ruminants it will be up to 3,500 AMD, and for large ruminants, it will be up to 10,000 AMD.

On January 17, during a rally by butchers in front of the government, a member of a delegation comprising butchers and livestock farmers spoke with journalists, stating that they had met with the FSIB and did not reach an agreement during their discussions. According to him, the FSIB did not accept the proposal to grant at least 6 months for constructing small slaughterhouses in communities.