Resolution was proposed by the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries
The Portuguese Parliament has recommended that the government move forward with the construction of a public slaughterhouse in the Algarve and the introduction of mobile slaughterhouses nationwide, according to a resolution published on Tuesday in State newspaper Diário da República.
The region’s previous sole slaughterhouse in Loulé closed in 2007 when the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) shut it down due to hygiene violations. Since then, livestock farmers in the Algarve have had to transport animals to Beja or Setúbal for slaughter, increasing costs and logistical challenges.
The resolution, No. 112/2025, proposed by the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, was approved on March 14. It combines proposals from two political parties: CHEGA, which pushed for the construction of a fixed slaughterhouse in the Algarve, and the Socialist Party (PS), which advocated for mobile slaughter units as a more cost-effective and EU-aligned solution.
Proponents argue that restoring slaughter facilities in the Algarve would lower production costs, enhance food self-sufficiency, and support rural communities by providing local livestock farmers with essential infrastructure.
Beyond the Algarve, parliament also urged the government to approve exemptions under EU Regulation (EC) No. 1099/2009, allowing mobile slaughterhouses to operate with fewer regulatory restrictions. Additionally, lawmakers recommended that funding for mobile slaughter units be included in the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) to support remote areas and small-scale producers.
