The first mobile abattoir in Spain is now a reality, as a group of livestock farmers from Central Catalonia has witnessed this month. Installed in a truck, the new facility will serve sheep and goat producers in Bages, Berguedà, Moianès, and Osona, saving them from having to travel hundreds of kilometres to slaughter their animals. The reduction in travel time will decrease livestock stress, consequently improving meat quality, while also reducing economic expenses and the environmental impact of transportation.

The mobile abattoir has cost 96,000 euros, which has been co-financed by the Barcelona Provincial Council and the FEDER funds as part of the BCN Smart Rural strategy.

A fully equipped vehicle

Farmers will be able to use the mobile slaughter trailer from September onwards, as stated by representatives of the Association of Rural Initiatives of Catalonia (ARCA), the entity managing the vehicle, during the presentation event at the small farm of Soler de N'Hug in Prats de Lluçanès.

The truck has all the necessary equipment to carry out the slaughter with maximum animal welfare conditions and guarantee a fast and effective service. Outside, it has a lifting platform and several metal keys that act as an enclosure for four or five animals, depending on their size. Inside, several areas have been set up, separated by clean and dirty areas, as well as a cold chamber to store the carcasses until they are sent out through a side door.

The answer to a historic demand

The new service responds to a historic demand from shepherds and small livestock farmers in the province of Barcelona, who, faced with the progressive closure of low-capacity municipal abattoirs, are having more and more difficulty finding nearby slaughter spaces that accept their cattle and not limit themselves to working with the large agri-food groups.

That said, farmers who want to be visited by the mobile abattoir will have to meet several requirements. To begin with, they must have a clean, paved and closed area on their farm to prevent other animals from accessing it while they are working on it. Once there, the vehicle must be able to connect to water and electricity. And, of course, all animals that need to be slaughtered must have individual traceability.

A firm commitment to local food

The mobile abattoir of Central Catalonia is managed by ARCA and is part of the PECT BCN Smart Rural, a rural development program co-financed by the Barcelona Provincial Council and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) which has, among its objectives, the creation of innovative and multi-use equipment that supports small producers and agri-food artisans in the territory.

In this sense, the mobile slaughter trailer is just one of the five shared food processing spaces that the Barcelona Provincial Council is promoting as part of this European project. The four remaining facilities are the Lluçanès cheese dairy, the Bages vegetable processing facility, the Montserrat Rural Park meat-cutting facility and the small modular abattoir in Moianès. Some are already in operation, and others will be soon.

More details about the new equipment are in this link.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —