In Sichuan’s Kaijiang County, five illegal slaughterhouses were secretly butchering diseased pigs, allowing this uninspected “problematic pork” to flow into the market.
According to a recent report by the “Xinjing Daily,” in late September of this year, following a tip-off, it was found that there were multiple illegal pig slaughter black spots in Kaijiang County, Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, where a large quantity of uninspected and untraceable “problematic pork” was making its way into the market. Undercover as a trader, journalists from the newspaper visited these five pig slaughterhouses in Kaijiang County multiple times and discovered that all five were operating without the required “designated pig slaughter permit.”
These slaughterhouses were not only filled with a foul and pungent stench, but also littered with pig viscera, with wastewater flowing everywhere, and no official veterinarians responsible for inspection and ensuring the safety of the pork to be seen. Notably, one of the slaughterhouses had been sealed at the end of February this year, yet within less than a month, it had “resurrected” and resumed business.
Even after this “resurrection,” the slaughterhouse continued its illegal and irregular butchering practices.
Traders recounted how the slaughterhouses were clandestinely slaughtering diseased pigs.
Inside the slaughterhouse, some pigs were observed struggling to breathe, showing signs of being diseased. The pig vendors at the slaughterhouse claimed that diseased pigs were worthless, and any problematic pigs were dealt with first. Regular pork was priced at around 11 to 12 yuan per kilogram, while meat from diseased pigs was being sold for just a few yuan per kilogram. It was evident from the appearance that the pork came from diseased or deceased pigs, with different price points reflecting this.
Reports indicate that many illegal slaughterhouses in Kaijiang County transported privately slaughtered pork to various markets during the late hours of the night. Uninspected pork traveled across provinces to reach different markets. Among them, the slaughterhouse in Yongxing Town was relatively larger than the other four. In the early hours, two large trucks filled with pork were seen leaving the slaughterhouse with high vigilance and driving at a fast speed. They were followed until reaching Maliu Town in Dazhou City’s Dachuan District, from where one truck continued towards Liangping District in Chongqing. Another van carrying pork departed from Jiangzhi Town’s slaughterhouse, passing through Gantang Town and Renshi Town, and eventually illegally transported pork to a shop in Liangping District of Chongqing.
Following the exposure of these events, on December 17, the joint investigation team in Kaijiang County, Dazhou, Sichuan, reported that the above five slaughterhouses had been shut down. The County Commission for Discipline Inspection has ordered relevant departments to rectify these slaughterhouses.
However, the “secret” behind the resurrection of these related illegal slaughterhouses remains unknown to this day.