The abattoir: between rumours, facts and misinformation

As a reminder, the abattoir – which has been closed since late 2023 – was due to reopen in April, then in June 2025. Health and safety non-compliance issues and additional works had pushed the deadline back to April 2026. In December 2025, the Collectivité awarded an exceptional operating grant of €330,282 to ELITE, the public body managing the abattoir, to balance the 2025 budget. The refurbishment and modernisation of the facility also cost €1.98 million, financed by European funds and, to the tune of €70,000, by the Collectivité. In January 2026, the Collectivité announced the completion of the works, but no health approval had been granted… and the slaughterhouse’s doors remained closed. Elie Touzé, the current director, was kind enough to clarify certain administrative points.

Expenses that raise questions 

The financial management of the abattoir raises several questions. In 2024, the salaries of the establishment’s two technicians cost €110,000. From March 2024 to February 2025, they attended a training course at the École nationale supérieure des métiers de la viande in Paris, costing €47,000, including accommodation and meals. The accommodation was not used, as the two trainees ultimately opted to stay in a hotel, resulting in an additional bill of €26,200. Other expenses also raise questions: over €7,000 in mission expenses for the chair of the board of directors, Valérie Fonrose; €7,000 for a Paris–Amsterdam flight ticket for the director; the hire of a car for the chair since March 2024; and so on. As for the director, Élie Touzé, who is also head of the Green Growth and Blue Economy Directorate at the Collectivité, the actual amount of time he has spent working at the EPIC has never been clearly specified, despite several requests in the Territorial Council.
On the issue of retaining technicians on a full-time basis, whilst it had been stated at the board meeting in June 2025 that the abattoir would only operate two days a week due to the low number of animals to be slaughtered, Élie Touzé states that the establishment did indeed take steps with the DEETS, the local government department responsible for labour matters, to apply for short-time working, but was refused, as the scheme does not cover this specific situation. The EPIC has appealed against this decision.
Finally, fees were invoiced in 2024 for procurement support as well as for the drafting of a strategic development and communication plan… On this point, the director states that these services were part of forward planning, as no one could have imagined at the time that the opening would be further delayed. He points out that, even whilst suspended, the organisation continues to exist administratively and must prepare for its future development. Furthermore, the use of external expertise is provided for under the Public Procurement Code.
The circulation of documents relating to the establishment’s finances ultimately raises a question of political timing. Given that Valérie Fonrose distanced herself from the majority last September, why are these expenses – which, after all, predate that – only now coming to light? Why did questions about the management of the abattoir not prompt further public explanations as early as last year?
In reality, the abattoir cannot open due to technical faults, even though the tests carried out at the end of 2025 were conclusive. Élie Touzé confirms that the platforms, a central component of the facility, are at risk of collapsing due to missing seals. Were they removed by an unpaid contractor (a €100,000 invoice is reportedly still outstanding with the Collectivité), as some claim, or have they deteriorated due to disuse? It is difficult to separate fact from fiction. The director also points to a non-compliant gas installation, which is essential for the slaughter of pigs.
The Collectivité, as the project owner, has nevertheless been asked to invoke the ten-year warranty to enable the repairs necessary to obtain health approval. According to Elie Touzé, Valérie Fonrose and the board of directors of ELITE have sent numerous letters of concern, the farmers have spoken out, and the prefect himself has written to Louis Mussington. Despite all this, there is still no prospect of the facility opening.
A job vacancy had also been advertised to recruit a new full-time director from 1 July 2026, citing a ‘vacancy in the post’. Élie Touzé explains that this was intended to prepare for the end of his secondment, scheduled for 31 October, his initial role having been to support the opening of the abattoir. A candidate had been selected, but the recruitment process was put on hold as ELITE’s 2026 budget had not been approved.
Ultimately, the Collectivité faces a net loss of €70,000, to which would be added €1.2 million in European funds to be repaid… Indeed, if the capital investment is not operational, there is a very high risk that the grant awarded will have to be repaid.
In the meantime, the Collectivité must pay subsidies to farmers to maintain livestock numbers… and that, in itself, is yet another issue to be monitored! What is certain is that food sovereignty, a priority of this term of office, also seems to have fallen by the wayside.