Following Vion’s withdrawal from the German market, Tönnies planned to take over several Vion sites in southern Germany. Various groups, including our coalition, protested against the continued operation of the slaughterhouses, among other things by holding a large demonstration in Waldkraiburg and successfully blocking the slaughterhouse in Crailsheim. Ultimately, the Federal Cartel Office blocked the Tönnies takeover last year.
It has since been reported that the slaughterhouse in Crailsheim, where one million pigs are slaughtered annually, is now set to be transferred to Boeser Frischfleisch, a subsidiary of the Goldschmaus Group. Germany’s largest cattle slaughterhouse in Waldkraiburg is also set to continue operations and will be taken over by OSI Europe Foodworks. The company is one of McDonald’s main suppliers and has been involved in several animal welfare scandals. Operations are also set to continue in Buchloe as well: the cattle slaughterhouse is to be sold to the Irish company ABP Food Group.
This would allow the exploitative system of the animal industry to continue at the affected locations at the expense of people, animals, and the environment. In light of the climate crisis and the urgent need for a transformation of agriculture and the food system, it is devastating that alternative uses are being rejected and that people are not being included in shaping the future.
Instead, we say: Close the slaughterhouses! Convert these facilities into operations dedicated to solidarity-based, ecological, and plant-based food production!