Three more questions to Anders Rickard, who is one of several veterinarians from the Swedish Food Agency who take turns supervising the slaughter of wild birds.
What is your role when you visit a slaughterhouse?
– As an official veterinarian, my role is to monitor animal welfare and to check the product so that the consumer receives a safe product. I look at all the animals that are brought in and assess whether they are healthy. Then I review the operations to ensure that the animals are cared for and euthanized in a reasonable and dignified manner. I alsoIt also deals with slicing, cutting, packaging and controls hygiene procedures, among other things.
What are your powers if you discover something that is wrong?
– I can stop the slaughter during the process of killing. I can also block a food product if I assess that there is a risk to the consumer, but that is unusual. Sometimes we temporarily stop the slaughter and, for example, repair a machine. As a rule, it is obvious and usually the staff or the food producer themselves stop the operation. We can also stop the slaughter if we assess that the animals are in a less good condition. But we have good thoroughness in Sweden and that rarely happens.
What is the most fun part of the job?
– Meeting a lot of people and feeling that you are making a difference. Above all, animal welfare is a point I place great importance on – I want everything to go well and to be done correctly. If you are going to have animals and feed them for slaughter, they should be handled in a good and dignified way.
The Bjärefågel is also certified by Svensk Fågel and Svenskt Sigill and is therefore reviewed by three different parties.
