Mirandela CDU fears dissolution of the Cachão slaughterhouse

A CDU de Mirandela considered today that the closure of the slaughterhouse of Cachão would be “an economic crime” for Tras-os-Montes and fears its dissolution, despite the cancellation of insolvency by the Guimarães Relation Court.

“It would be (...) an economic crime that would be committed to the region of Trás-os-Montes with the possibility of closing the slaughterhouse, since it is a public asset that provides an incomparable service in our region, to livestock producers, so we find this repeal of the insolvency request positive,” said CDU/Mirandela leader Jorge Humberto Fernandes.

In April this year, one of the creditors of the slaughterhouse, Ares Lusitani, requested the insolvency of the slaughter unit due to a debt that will have reached close to a million euros.

However, on October 15, as Lusa reported on Wednesday, the Guimarães Relation Court annulled the insolvency proceedings, which had initially been approved by the Bragança Court, claiming that the slaughterhouse of Cachão is a local company, of an intermunicipal nature, subject to special legislation.

Still, highlighted Jorge Humberto Fernandes, the CDU is concerned about the possible “dissolution” of the slaughterhouse of Cachão, located in Frechas, in the county of Mirandela, district of Bragança, and that gives employment to 23 people.

“There is also, let’s say, within the law, the possibility of the extinction of the slaughterhouse of the Cachão itself, which is on the table (...) through a decree-law that can be requested, say, the dissolution of the slaughterhouse, since insolvency does not apply, because it is a ... public body”, he said.

The CDU criticised the management of the slaughter unit, calling into question the “transparency” of the process and pointed out a lack of clarification and answers, by the city council of Mirandela, to the questions that Jorge Humberto has been asking, as a deputy, in the Municipal Assembly.

In question is a loan made by the municipality, in 2005, at the time of Banco Espírito Santo (BES), amounting to “750 thousand euros”, “which intended to realise an investment for promotion of the Northeast brand and the purchase of the mill quota that operated in the space of the Cachão Agroindustrial Complex”, according to the CDU.

“ After all this time, the mill was sold and we can not understand yet, because this information the city council has not yet made available to us, what is done again of the money that was raised by the sale (...) we want to know if this money was, say, used to save or close the debt, that the city council had ", pointed out.

In addition, it asks the Government to “take responsibility” and bear “what is a social function of the slaughterhouse”, because closing “is a whole region that is damaged”.

“ It has to be the State to assume its responsibility, because it was this main issue, which was the State to be unaccounted for when it handed over Cachão (...) to the municipal councils, without then doing what is the most essential, a financial envelope, because we know it is the municipal chambers, either that of Mirandela, or that of Vila Flor, who are bearing exactly the issue of Cachão ", defended.

The CDU also assured that “there is no shortage of work” in the slaughterhouse, according to workers’ information, contrary to the statements given by the slaughterhouse administrator, Michel Monteiro, to Lusa, on Thursday, who claimed that the business is “self-sustainable”, because there was “a huge decrease”, in the slaughter of animals and an increase in the cost of fuel, gas and electricity, maintaining the same jobs.

Since the beginning of the insolvency proceedings, the industrial slaughterhouse of Cachão has remained open and in operation, but the workers have even announced a strike, for alleged delays in the payment of wages and holiday allowances, but ended up being cancelled.

In the transmontano northeast there are still three other slaughterhouses: Miranda do Douro, Vinhais and Bragança, still being built another in Mogadouro.