slaughtering, was founded in April 1966 by a group of farmers in the
LAMBALLE region (Côtes d’Armor).
COOPERL’s initial roles were the technical and commercial support of farms
(20-30 ha) that were undergoing an intensification of their activities.
The dynamic growth which resulted was an increase in production
from 8,000 pigs produced in 1966 (with only 24 members at that time),
to 210,000 pigs in 1970 (with 665 members), 480,000 in 1975 (1,260 members),
1,100,000 in 1986 and in 1998 production was up to 2,572,092 pigs
(1,300 members).
From 1966 to 1978, COOPERL’s activities were limited to production
organisation and held the role of bringing technological assistance to farmers
and to market their production.
As commercial risks in the slaughterhouses of Brittany became increasingly
high (GILLES crisis in 1977), COOPERL was led to take sharing interest
in two slaughterhouses.
The first one, located in MONTFORT SUR MEU near Rennes, was acquired in
January 1978 for its competitiveness and the quality of its results. It was known
as the BENIJO slaughterhouse until 1 January 1990 when it was renamed
"SA COOPERL-INDUSTRIES".
In 1988 the slaughterhouse was totally renovated and is today one of the most
modern in Europe. With a capacity of 125,000 tonnes per year, 80,000 tonnes
of which can be cut on site, the MONTFORT slaughterhouse employs
a total of 440 persons. On 1 January 1994, this site became a part of
COOPERL-HUNAUDAYE.
The second slaughterhouse is located in the industrial zone of LAMBALLE,
and was acquired in a different manner. The OLLEVIER company that built
the slaughterhouse in 1974 was undergoing extensive financial strain
after several consecutive losses.
This situation was a sign of a near end to their commercial activity.
In fact, accounting reports as of 30 September 1977 showed a major deficit.
In May of 1978, the SA CENTRE D'ABATTAGE of LAMBALLE (C.A.L. Lamballe
Slaughterhouse) was created with COOPERL being majority
shareholder of buildings, personnel and activities (except curing).
In 1979, COOPERL decided to take control of slaughtering and equipped its
slaughtering and refrigeration facilities with equipment that was more solid, better
performing and capable of increased productivity. The investment was to allow
skilled use of the equipment and optimal processing of the carcass while
at the same time improving performance.
By doing so, slaughtering went from 6,000 pigs per week in 1979 to 12,000 pigs
in 1981, 14,000 in 1982, 23,000 in 1986 and 28,500 in 1988. In 1998, this amount
has remained stable.
At the beginning of 1981 C.A.L. became a part of COOPERL.
Current slaughtering capabilities at the LAMBALLE slaughterhouse
are 125,000 tonnes/year, of which 80% can be cut on site.
Since COOPERL took over this slaughterhouse, modernisation has been
achieved through numerous renovations and extensions. Some of the most
notable renovations were:
• Construction of a cutting room in 1982,
• The building of a refrigeration unit and a wastewater pre-treatment facility in 1983,
• The most important renovations in the following years had for its goal
the repairing of the slaughter line and improvement of the refrigeration units,
• In 1988,1989 and 1990, the size of the factory was doubled. This increase
was in a large part from the construction of a meat - curing unit.
This investment was made to better serve our clients, primarily medium and
large sized stores, but also to promote, as best as possible,
the production of cooperative members.
In 1990, numerous employee-related additions were made (locker rooms, break
rooms, health office, company doctor, etc.). These additions were
indispensable due to the large increase in the number of employees
working at the LAMBALLE site.
Among the most recent changes are the enlargement of the curing-packaging-
storage facilities, as well as the extension made on the refrigeration unit and
the creation of a despatch area for cuts and retail products
and new workshops for maintenance.
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