The largest slaughterhouse in Catalonia is approved for expansion. The
municipal company Mercabarna will invest 3 million euro to increase the
size of the facilities, making it 2,000 square meters when work is
completed in late 2009. The space for cold storage will be increased
by 50%.
This will include a new line of slaughtering sheep, which will allow for 4,000 lambs a day, 50% of the total Catalan produce.
According
to data from the municipality, half a million cattle, sheep and horses
were slaughtered in 2007. In the past five years the volume in the
Mercabarna slaughterhouse has increased by 33%, due ot the increase in
the immigrant population and the number of exports.
34% of the
slaughter of cattle and sheep is done according to the Muslim ritual.
20% of the lamb are exported, mainly to France, while all of the cattle
which is halal slaughtered goes to the Spanish market.
