Chiayi County Looks to French Experience to Promote Smart Meat Market Upgrades

(Central News Agency, Reporter Tsai Chih-ming, Chiayi County, July 1) Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang led a delegation to visit France. On June 30, local time, they inspected the Gatine Viandes meat processing plant in Brittany to understand the slaughter and meat supply system, drawing on French experience as an important reference for the future planning of Chiayi County's meat market.

The Chiayi County Government issued a press release today stating that the Gatine Viandes, visited by the county government team, is a large pork slaughtering and processing plant in the Brittany region of France. It is part of the pork industry chain of the French Agromousquetaires Group and is responsible for pork slaughter, cutting, deboning, and meat processing. Its daily slaughter capacity can reach up to 5,000 pigs, supplying large retail chains in France and establishing a complete food safety, quality management, and product traceability system.

The county government pointed out that the focus of this visit was on intelligent slaughtering technology, automated production management, and meat quality grading systems, gaining an in-depth understanding of the entire process from live animal reception, slaughter, cutting, cold chain transportation to product traceability.

Among these, the automated production line, through conveyor systems, mechanized cutting equipment, and digital management platforms, significantly reduces the need for manual labor, improving production efficiency and operational safety. Simultaneously, it utilizes an information management system to establish a full-chain traceability mechanism from farm to table, ensuring food safety and consumer trust.

Weng Chang-liang emphasized that this trip particularly focused on the carcass grading system that has been in place in Europe for many years. By evaluating quality based on objective data such as carcass weight, backfat thickness, and lean meat percentage, it not only helps establish a fair and transparent trading mechanism but also guides the pig farming industry towards precision farming and quality improvement.

Weng Chang-liang said that the modern meat market planned for Chiayi County in the future will also evaluate the introduction of an intelligent carcass grading system, gradually establishing a meat grading and price feedback mechanism to enhance industry competitiveness.

In addition, during the visit, they observed the EU's measures related to animal welfare, environmental protection, and energy management, including animal welfare design in holding areas, energy-saving cold chain systems, and energy management systems. The plant's average water consumption per pig is about 220 liters, yet it manages to balance production efficiency with environmental sustainability, serving as an important reference for Chiayi County's future promotion of a sustainable meat supply chain.

The county government stated that a modern meat market is not just an upgrade of the slaughterhouse but also crucial infrastructure for the overall meat supply chain upgrade. In the future, with the five major goals of "smart management, automated production, quality grading, full traceability, and sustainable operation," it will build a modern meat market that balances food safety, animal welfare, industry competitiveness, and environmental sustainability, providing consumers with safe and high-quality meat. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1: Li Heng-shan) 1150701)