The Slaughterhouse Project in Northern Moselle: Banks Refuse Support, Cooperative Dissolved

This time, there is no longer room for doubt: the slaughterhouse in northern Moselle will not happen. The dissolution of the cooperative society of collective interests (SCIC) carrying the project was recorded this Wednesday, November 15, during a board meeting. After the about-face of their historic financial partners last July, the breeders did not find a new banking organization wishing to engage alongside them, in the creation of “this proximity tool on a human scale”, as they liked present it.

Obviously, it is partly because of this positioning that the banks refused.“We clearly felt that with our projections of 1,500 tonnes of slaughter per year, no bank wanted to follow us. According to them, at least 1,000 tonnes were missing for the tool to be viable. I remain convinced that we could have had these additional volumes at some point, but as long as the tool was not there, it was difficult for us to enter into contracts with other breeders,” summarizes Norbert Handrick, the former president of the cooperative who became its liquidator in the space of one meeting.

“The industrial logic sought by banks is not compatible with a local tool”

“It’s a huge waste,” he continues. “It allowed us to see the world of slaughtering from other sides and to understand that the industrial logic sought by the banks is not compatible with a local tool. We were in a territorial dynamic, with transformation and direct sales behind it, where the big players are in reality financiers,” analyzes Norbert Handrick, half surprised. “Perhaps we were altar boys to believe that we could work for the territory…”

And now ?

Twelve years after the first discussions on this project, the blow is severe. Neither the petition nor the last-chance rescue attempts were successful. The inflationary context has not helped anything. During the SCIC board meeting on Wednesday, certain professionals immediately announced their intention to bounce back. “It is entirely possible that a group of breeders will take over the cutting and processing of meat. The slaughter could take place in Besch, Germany, where the Saarburg slaughterhouse has been relocated. Everything remains to be done but the idea is to build a model that brings added value,” indicates Norbert Handrick without detailing further.

For the moment, it is time to count the costs incurred: execution studies, lawyer, accounting, etc. And then everyone will have to pay back the portion of the capital owed to them. Of the €7.4 million needed, the cooperative managed to raise €5 million.