"Serious abuse": L214 files complaint against the Porto-Vecchio slaughterhouse for animal abuse

An investigation was opened on Wednesday, July 30, by the Ajaccio prosecutor's office after a complaint was filed against the public multi-species slaughterhouse in Porto-Vecchio (South Corsica) for "serious abuse and mistreatment," a complaint filed by the animal rights association L214 , the prosecutor told AFP. The investigation, entrusted to the Porto-Vecchio gendarmerie, was opened "at this stage for alleged breaches of slaughter rules and non-compliance with animal stunning rules," Ajaccio prosecutor Nicolas Septe told AFP.

By making public videos filmed in this slaughterhouse on May 7 and July 7, 2025, L214 denounces in a press release "serious malfunctions" in the slaughter of cows and calves, "bled while still conscious after failed stunning" , and in the ritual slaughter of cows, calves and sheep, which "undergo shearing movements during live bleeding" . Owned by the Collectivité de Corse, it is managed by the Syndicat mixte de l'abattage en Corse (Smac).

Read the L214 file : investigation into “animal cause” activists

The association also claims that its investigation revealed "the complicity of state services, including the DDPP (Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations) of South Corsica, in the illegal slaughtering practices and non-compliant facilities of this slaughterhouse" , and called on the prefecture to "close it immediately" . In a video filmed by the association and consulted by AFP, L214 shows what it presents as a veterinarian telling an employee of the slaughterhouse: "We're going to do it like this because I understand that there is an order that must be respected, but it is not in accordance with the regulations" .

The association assures that "the animals are killed in immense suffering" and that the meat produced is distributed "everywhere in Corsica , in supermarkets, directly from breeders and artisan butchers" . Contacted by AFP, the prefecture indicated that its services "will examine the videos that will be published by L214 to draw all the consequences" and that "at this time, the slaughterhouse concerned, which is the subject of regular monitoring and a recent inspection" , is not targeted by "any particular report" .

In March, L214 filed a complaint against a slaughterhouse in Charlieu ( Loire ), the third in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region targeted by an investigation by the association. The first two had their activities suspended. Several animal rights organizations, including the "30 Million Friends" and "Brigitte Bardot" foundations, called on Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard at the end of April to order a widespread inspection of animal protection in slaughterhouses, following the revelations by L214.