The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Alert in Chile over half a million abandoned pigs

By 박한나

Published : May 23, 2012 - 11:31

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Chile declared a health alert at a site where 500,000 pigs, abandoned by a slaughtering company, were dying in large numbers until authorities stepped in Tuesday.

Health Minister Jaime Manalich visited the plant in Freirina, 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Santiago in the parched Atacama region, and said that without food, water, cleaning or care the pigs had started to die.

The incident began when Freirina residents, angry about foul odor from the swine, held a march Thursday that culminated in riots. Demonstrators set two police cars on fire, and police arrested 23 protesters.

The angry locals closed access roads to the pig slaughtering site, and employees fled the plant.

"Because of the road closures from Thursday onward the animals have stopped receiving food, there is no sanitation, their waste is not being disposed of and we understand there is high mortality among the animals, particularly the young piglets," said Manalich.

Authorities declared a sanitary alert in the area and temporarily closed the plant, owned by the firm Agrosuper.

However by late Tuesday Manalich reached an agreement with protesters to end the road closure and allow Agrosuper workers to enter the plant and feed the swine.

Waste is overflowing at the plant's waste treatment unit, some animals have escaped their pens and others had died, the minister told local media.

The waste overflow could contaminate area drinking water "and could be a grave danger for the population," Manalich said.

Manalich said that authorities agreed to temporarily close down the plant.

Plant officials acknowledged problems in the slaughtering plant ventilation system that increased the foul odors.

 

<한글 기사>

돼지 50만마리 굶어죽을 위기..무슨일이?
 

칠레 보건당국이 돼지 50만 마리가 방치된 채 굶어죽고 있는 아타카마주(州) 프레이리나 지역에 22일(현지시간) 위생 경보를 발령했다.

하이메 마날리치 칠레 보건장관은 이날 프레이리나 도축장을 방문해 돼지들이 사료와 물을 공급받지 못하고 있으며 위생 관리가 이뤄지지 않아 무더기로 죽어나가 기 시작했다며 우려의 목소리를 높였다.

이번 사건은 프레이리나에 있는 칠레 최대 농축산 기업 아그로수퍼(Agrosuper) 소유 도축장의 돼지에서 심한 악취가 풍기는데 화가 난 주민들이 지난 17일 항의 행 진을 벌이다 폭동으로 번지면서 시작됐다.

주민들은 경찰차 2대를 불태우고 도축장으로 이어지는 도로를 봉쇄했으며, 도축 장 직원들은 50만 마리의 돼지를 버려두고 모두 달아났다. 

도축장 관계자들은 환기 시설에 문제가 있어 악취가 발생했다고 시인했다.

페르난도 플로레스 주지사는 주민의 도로봉쇄를 풀고 도축장의 돼지에게 사료를 공급하기 위한 조치가 진행 중에 있다고 전했다.