Limited refrigeration facilities at the Victorian-era slaughterhouse mean all cattle dispatched there must be incinerated because of the length of time required for BSE testing. (0924843)

GUERNSEY could consume or export all of its beef – but not without a new slaughterhouse.

All cattle over 30 months old at slaughter must be incinerated because the current Victorian facility does not have the refrigeration capacity to store the meat until the required BSE testing has been completed.

A spokesman from Commerce and Employment said it supported the idea in principle but said converting the existing facility was impractical and expensive and an alternative site could not be found.

‘Many of these animals would make good quality beef that could be consumed locally, or might even form a small export trade,’ he said.

If the existing slaughterhouse, or a new abattoir, was fully compliant with EU regulations as many as 450 cattle could be used for local consumption.

The department said the Health and Social Services Department, which has overall responsibility for regulating the food industry in the island, supported the idea but it would require butchery facilities to be built and improvements to the slaughterhouse – or the building of a new one.

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