According to the document which French publication Le Point was able to access, almost half of the slaughterhouses for poultry and rabbits and 42 per cent for pig, cattle and calves are outlawed due to their unhygienic ways.

The magazine goes on to say: "The situation in the slaughterhouses can sometimes be called apocalyptic."

DGAL, however, denies these claims, saying that they are untrue and that out of the 333 abattoirs, only 19 (responsible for processing 1 per cent of the total meat) are of inferior quality due to hygiene issues. "The veterinary services only research the animals upon arrival in the slaughterhouses and check the carcasses' veterinary quality upon departure," vice-director Monique Eloit said.

However, DGAL stressed on the fact that 59 French abattoirs have been closed down within the last half decade for economic and hygienic reasons. This is due to the checks made by the regional directors. The European Union demands a certain level of hygiene and these slaughterhouses have failed thus.

The European agency for animal health is seeing to it that the situation in France is remedied.