Tripoli slaughterhouse
receives $19 million funding

To finance equipment and consultancy services

The Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) signed a $19 million loan agreement today, with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), to build and equip a slaughterhouse in Tripoli.

“This project dates back to about ten years, but no funds were available to support its implementation,” said Wafa Charafeddine, Director of Funding at the CDR. “Finally, we succeeded in getting support from the KFAED,” she said.

The loan agreement is subject to approval by Parliament. The interest rate on the loan is two percent, with a grace period of three years, starting from the first withdrawal of funds.
The loan, which will cover the total cost of the project, will be used to finance the import and establishment of mechanical and electric equipment, as well as the import of refrigerated vehicles and consultancy services necessary for the slaughterhouse of Tripoli.

“We did not receive any notification about the establishment of this slaughterhouse,” said Ahmad El Bakkar, President of the Syndicate of Butchers in North Lebanon. “Establishing a new slaughterhouse that is compliant with health standards is a very positive step and we request to be well informed about the implementation of this project.”

The Ministry of Public Health shut down the Tripoli slaughterhouse in November 2014, due to the discovery of violations that threatened food safety and citizens’ health.

“We were supposed to stay only five years in that slaughterhouse from 1996 to 2000, but our stay was extended,” said El Bakkar. “That slaughterhouse was not limited to Tripoli it also served neighboring areas like Beddawi and Al-Qalamoun.


The new slaughterhouse is expected to be located in place of the former. The project is financed for a three-year period, but the construction may only take two, said Charafeddine.

“A study was conducted by the CDR to evaluate the environmental impact of the slaughterhouse and to get the approval of the Ministry of Environment,” said Charafeddine. CDR will carry out bids and studies.

The Council of Ministers approved the CDR’s request to get a loan agreement to finance this project, in October 2014.