Four veterinarians from the Tnuva Adom-Adom slaughterhouse in Beit She’an will
be summoned to a hearing before the director of Veterinary Services at the
Agriculture Ministry on Thursday, the ministry announced on
Tuesday.
Following allegations that Adom-Adom slaughterhouse workers were
abusing their cattle, a criminal investigation opened on Friday by the
Environmental Protection Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry and the Beit She’an
Police.
The allegations, first exposed by the Reshet program Kolbotek,
showed and spoke of workers beating the animals, shocking them and dragging them
by the legs with forklifts.
As part of the ongoing investigation,
Agriculture Ministry officials received a warrant from the Tiberias Magistrate’s
Court to search the facility on Tuesday and confiscated items such as a shocker,
sticks, ropes and straps, the ministry said.
Thursday’s hearing will
allow for a preliminary procedure before authorities decide whether to take
action against the veterinarians, as the veterinary services director is able by
law to restrict employment of veterinarians, the ministry said.
In the
wake of the ongoing investigation, the Agriculture Ministry said that it has
also decided to increase the level of supervision and enforcement in
slaughterhouses, by requiring them to install surveillance cameras. From now on,
the shocker tool will only be used in extreme cases, with the approval of the
supervising physician, the ministry said.
The director of Veterinary
Services also demanded that Adom-Adom’s head veterinarian conduct two on-site
emergency briefings for the plant staff members as a condition to resumption of
slaughter – which took place last Friday and Sunday.
“Veterinary Services
at the Agriculture Ministry is shocked by the details uncovered by the Kolbotek
investigation,” said Dr. Nadav Galon, director of Veterinary Services.
“Immediately after the program, the very next morning, the ministry launched a
number of actions to eradicate the grave phenomenon exposed, such as plant
emergency briefings and instructions not to use the electric shocker, except in
extreme cases and only then with the supervision and instruction of the
slaughterhouse head doctor.
Veterinary Services at the Agriculture
Ministry is working tirelessly to prevent the recurrence of such events in the
future.”