Video: The fate of the Alès slaughterhouse revealed in a week, “we're going to have to roll up our sleeves!”

Pour l'audience, Max Roustan et Christophe Rivenq ont plaidé pour l'abattoir avec des t-shirts adaptés. Midi Libre – Paul Barraud

Le tribunal de commerce de Nîmes, qui a étudié le dossier de la structure en audience ce mercredi 13 mars, doit statuer sur une liquidation ou un redressement judiciaire mercredi 20 mars. 

"There were no particular defects. The court listened. They took note. The deliberation is scheduled for next Wednesday." At the exit of the Nîmes commercial court, the mayor of Alès Max Roustan displayed, even if the final fate of the' 39;slaughterhouse has not yet been determined, a rather relieved expression. 

Both dressed in red t-shirts reading "Save the Alès slaughterhouse", he and his first deputy Christophe Rivenq came up# 39;at the capital of Gard to defend the viability of the slaughterhouse, placed in cessation of payments for almost a week. At the end of the hearing, held behind closed doors, everything suggests that a placement in receivership will be decided by the court, the prosecutor having not pleaded in favor of ;#39;a liquidation. 

"All is not yet won"

In front of the court doors, around fifty farmers came to demonstrate for the survival of the slaughterhouse. "Without the Alès slaughterhouse, Bovigard, it's over, support Patrick Gravil, president of the union breeder and whose operation is based in Saint-Privat-des-Vieux. The slaughterhouse is the central element of our chain. If it closes, we are heading towards a radical change in the Gard landscape. We have neighboring slaughterhouses, in Aubenas or Pézenas, but going there takes time and money. 

At the end of the hearing, the two Alesian elected officials spoke to the assembled breeders. Even if the scenario of a legal recovery is emerging, "all is not yet won", warns Christophe Rivenq. "The deficit is not huge. We still have 50 tonnes more to find." As a reminder, the slaughterhouse is, according to elected officials, economically viable if its annual tonnage exceeds 3,500 tonnes. The challenge therefore remains in the search for new customers. "We're going to have to roll up our sleeves, put pressure on all the buyers! "

Breeders came with their animals to show their support for the structure. Midi Libre – Paul Barraud

"Today, we have to fight on this!", continues the mayor of ;#39;Alès. "Today, the Region, the Department are ready to work within the framework of calls for tenders. We still have to answer it!", continues his first deputy. 

Now waiting, Max Roustan also wanted to point out that 15 million euros have, in total, been injected by the City of Alès into the ;#39;slaughterhouse in recent decades. "Now, let's get out of the way!", he concluded to call on the breeders present to remain mobilized for the structure.& nbsp;