Colombia: Alert! Ranchers and Meat Plants Are in Crisis Due to Surge in Uncontrolled Clandestine Slaughter

The clandestine slaughter of animals represents a serious threat to public health, animal welfare, and rural development. This phenomenon, which operates outside of health controls, puts legal slaughterhouses at a disadvantage, prevents the traceability of meat products, and harms small producers. In departments like Boyacá, where formal slaughter has declined and legal plants face tough unfair competition, the urgency to act has become evident. Beyond evading taxes and compromising food security, clandestine slaughter jeopardizes the sustainability of a fundamental activity for the Colombian countryside. Clandestine cattle slaughter has grown to alarming levels. In municipalities of Valle de Tenza such as San Luis de Gaceno, Santa María, or Chibor, barely one head of cattle is slaughtered per month in authorized plants, while meat consumption remains constant. This reveals an increasingly normalized and dangerous practice. Didier Martínez, manager of the Valle de Tenza ...