Characteristics and management problems of slaughterhouses in Aomori prefecture [Japan]

In Aomori Prefecture agriculture rice and apples are the main produce. However, there is a difference between each zone in the prefecture. The productivity of Livestock is high in the Kennan Area, which lies on the Pacific Ocean side of the prefecture. Therefore, it is thought that the livestock industry greatly influences Aomori Prefecture agriculture. The slaughtering process is indispensable in making meat a commodity. The slaughterhouses, which process livestock, have been rapidly reorganized. "The Slaughterhouse Law" was revised to prevent food poisoning caused by contaminated meat in 1996. This revision was promoted by a case of food poisoning by E.coli O- 157. For this revision, the slaughterhouses need to achieve of a high standard in the short term. And each slaughterhouse requires a huge investment in capital. The characteristics and the management problems of the slaughterhouses in Aomori Prefecture are clarified in this paper. As a result of the research, the following two points were clarified as characteristics of slaughterhouse management in Aomori Prefecture . First for the slaughterhouses in Aomori Prefecture, the ratio of pigs is high and the ratio of dairy cattle is high. However the most of the beef cattle is carried outside the prefecture while lived. Therefore, the ratio slaughtered at the slaughterhouses in Aomori prefecture is lower than the other livestock. Secondly, after the 90's the number slaughtered decreased in Aomori prefecture. However, in some slaughterhouses, the slaughtered number decreased, In the number of livestock slaughtered, the differences among slaughterhouses are formed. This means the collecting of livestock competition is fierce among slaughterhouses. The cause of the management problems in the slaughterhouses is; that while the numbers slaughtered livestock decrease, revenue and expenditure deteriorate. And, "The Slaughterhouse Law" is revised in such a situation and, as a result, it is necessary to increase the investment capital. This too is the main management problem.