Belarusian hens not to go to EU because of… roosters
The EU did not allow shipment of chicken from Belarus once again. Euroradio has found out why.
Veterinarians from the EU visited two Belarusian chicken factories in Vitsebsk and Dzerzhynsk and came to the conclusion that Belarusian chicken still did not meet the European market standards. The visit took place last Spring, but the Office of Food and Veterinary Issues of the European Commission published the results only recently.
The Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision of Belarus explained that the Europeans had claims regarding the methods for growing, keeping and killing birds, not the quality of meat.
"They did not say anything against the quality of our meat, but there were questions about the methods of growing and keeping chickens. We agreed with their comments. For example, we keep the chickens in cages, in tiers, while in Europe they have already started the so-called “family” method – they have a rooster to a certain number of hens. They believe that a hen is healthier and less susceptible to stress this way. "
Moreover, European veterinarians gave advice on the way of killing chickens, so that the birds would not suffer, because it also affects the quality of meat. The department still hopes to break into the European market.
