French prime minister visits pig abattoir

French prime minister Manuel Valls. [AFP-Photo Damien Meyer]

The French prime minister Manuel Valls has made a surprise visit to the pig abattoir of Gad in Josselin, Brittany. In his speech to the employees, Valls did not rule out state support for the pig industry in his country. ‘’Looking at the Russian embargo, we are attentive to support the sector,” Valls said.

The abattoir of GAD in Josselin has been in financial difficulties for some time and has recently been taken over by meat company SVA Jean Rozé which belongs to the French supermarket group Intermarché. Earlier, GAD closed two other sites, resulting in the loss of some 1,000 jobs in total.

According to Valls, the resurfaced GAD has been exemplary for the way companies in Brittany deal with the difficulties the pig and poultry industry are facing. “This is a symbol for Brittany,” the prime minister said. Nevertheless, “it is very important to support all these sectors that are having such a difficult time.” “If the State, the other government bodies and the professional organisations together with their social partners make the pig sector a priority, we can look at the future with more optimism.”