Residents of Tablada Nueva and Virgen de Fátima in Asunción have filed a constitutional protection action against the Beef SA and Frigomerc SA slaughterhouses. They are asking for industrial slaughtering to be suspended and the two plants, located in an area classified as residential, to be progressively relocated.
Neighborhood committees and companies in the area say that about 12,000 people are affected by the activity. Complaints include smoke, intense odors, flies, rodents and other animals that residents consider potential vectors of health risks. The allegations are part of the case and have yet to be assessed by the courts.
“What we seek through this action is for the judge to order the suspension of slaughtering and the progressive removal of these two establishments,” said Pilar Abente, the residents’ lawyer. She also said that relocating the plants would affect formal and informal businesses operating nearby.
The hearing held this week included statements from the companies and testimony from the plaintiffs. Both sides requested additional evidentiary measures, and the judge indicated that a decision could be issued between Thursday and Friday of next week.
The request is based on the constitutional right to a healthy environment, comprehensive health and life. Abente said the action was filed after years of complaints and residents’ perception that the institutions responsible for oversight had failed to provide effective responses. She said that, if the local courts reject the action, the plaintiffs are considering appealing to international bodies.
The dispute also involves municipal regulations governing the area. Ordinance No. 161/24, concerning the Regulatory Plan for the Coastal Strip, prohibits slaughterhouses, tanneries and related plants in the Tablada Specific-Use Area. The regulation set a deadline for submitting closure plans by January 2025, ending slaughtering by December 2025 and completing the shutdown within three years.
Residents maintain that these deadlines were not met and that lawsuits brought by the companies delayed implementation of the measures. Ordinance No. 197/25, in turn, prohibits the movement and parking of trucks transporting live cattle in the urban area. The rule remains in force after a court decision unfavorable to the slaughterhouses, but residents say it is frequently disregarded.