Owing to its properties, food of animal origin is subject to special supervision by the Veterinary Inspectorate (VI), and food production requires close adherence to official regulations. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the veterinary supervision of abattoirs in Poland on the basis of data generated by the VI in 2005-2015, which are available on the website of the General Veterinary Office (the RRW-5 report). The data from the reports for particular years were used to determine statistical trends for the number of official decisions (warnings and prohibitions) issued by the IV for supervised and controlled abattoirs. It was found that in 2005-2006 (i.e. the transition period, during which abattoirs not yet in compliance with the EU requirements were allowed to operate) there was a 31.36% reduction in the number of abattoirs (from 762 to 521) with a negative evaluation issued by the VI. In 2007, the number of such abattoirs was comparable (1,432) to that in the previous years, but the VI issued more negative opinions (by 16.52%) than in the previous years because of more restrictive regulations. The results of such actions became visible in 2008, when the number of abattoirs decreased to 731, and the number of those with a negative assessment decreased by 33.28%. Starting from 2010, there was a progressive reduction in the number of decisions issued by the VI: in 2015, it was 66.32% smaller than in 2010 (a drop from 2,500 to 967). The number of decisions decreased along with the number of abattoirs in which poor sanitary conditions were found. An increase in the number of negatively assessed abattoirs results in the VI issuing administrative decisions: first, official warnings (to eliminate irregularities) and then prohibition notices (to stop production). Compared with the years 2005-2013, the years 2014-2015 saw a similar number of warnings and the lowest number of prohibition notices. Although the total number of administrative decisions and prohibition notices issued during 2005-2015 showed a clear downward trend, there was an upward trend in the number of warnings. By using administrative tools commensurate with potential risks to consumers, the VI improves sanitary conditions in abattoirs or eliminates them from the market. The analysis conducted in this study suggests that the sanitary conditions of animal slaughterhouses in Poland are satisfactory, which is partly attributable to the appropriate supervision of such facilities by the VI.
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