The Government sends inspectors to the Mirabò farm following the animalist complaint

PalmaThe Department of Agriculture sent inspectors this Tuesday to the Mirabo poultry farm in Manacor, operated by Avicola Son Perot. It did so following a complaint from animal rights organizations ARDE and Satya Animal, which brought the unsanitary conditions and potential animal welfare violations regarding the 40,000 hens at this intensive farm to the Prosecutor's Office. This was explained by the Minister of Agriculture, Joan Simonet, at noon today.

Simonet confirmed that the Government was unaware of these facts: "yesterday a media outlet informed us of this situation and today at five in the morning the animal rights organizations sent us an email forwarding the images and the complaint," he stated. Given these facts, this same Tuesday the Livestock Department has already sent inspectors to the farm. "We will now begin this investigation, we will see if the images can constitute grounds to open administrative proceedings and, if applicable, we would act accordingly," he affirmed. "They are worrying images that must be analyzed and assessed."

The Minister of Agriculture explained that the farm consists of two warehouses, which are currently empty. "Eight or nine days ago they were emptied with the relevant authorizations and these animals were transferred to slaughterhouses in Murcia."

Likewise, Simonet explained that last year one of the two warehouses at the Mirabò farm tested positive for salmonellosis and that, in August, a special authorization was granted for the eggs to be destined for processing products, until it was emptied. In this regard, the slaughterhouse that received the animals reportedly confirmed to Agriculture that the transfer took place without incident. Regarding possible effects or harm to consumers, the head of Agriculture stated he has no knowledge of any, since "we only check if the eggs have salmonellosis," while the marketing process is the responsibility of the Directorate General of Public Health. However, he asserted that "salmonellosis does not have to be linked to large and intensive farms; in fact, there have been small and organic ones that have also had it," he said.

Accumulation of irregularities

Regarding the accumulation of controversies, incidents, and irregularities gathered by Avícola Son Perot and in light of the processing of a new mega-farm project at the Son Brau estate in Manacor, Joan Simonet has refused to commit himself. "These are two independent events," he insisted.

The Son Brau mega-farm project is continuing its processing and is currently pending environmental authorization. "The administrative procedure is following its own path." "The processes are independent, they are regulated, and if we were to make an assumption of that nature, we would be acting unlawfully," he concluded.

Animal rights activists go to Parliament

While the Minister of Agriculture was appearing before the media at the entrance to Parliament, at the doors of the institution the members of the two animal rights organizations that filed the complaint unfurled a banner. Once the statements to the media had finished, even though Simonet had warned them, he decided not to go out to meet them.

"Last year they had multiple violations and now they have a new project in the pipeline, a fact that worries us especially". "The Government must take a stand: either it is on the side of the neighbors or it is on the side of factory farms like this one", expressed the representative of Satya Animal.