Ministry warns against backyard slaughtering
A FINE of up to $200 will be imposed on persons who fail to comply with the provisions of the Meat Industry Act and who are found guilty, says the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways.
The ministry is advising members of the public to be cautious of using backyard slaughtering of livestock for family gatherings and functions.
In a statement, the ministry stated it had found an increase in backyard slaughtering where some have even gone to the extent of selling meat from livestock slaughtered in their backyards.
Animal Health and Production Division director, Avinesh Dayal said there were high risk factors when livestock were slaughtered in backyards without the supervision of meat inspectors.
“As per the Meat Industry Act, any meat for sale to the public needs to come from a registered slaughterhouse,” he said.
“This is to help prevent diseased meat from reaching consumers and to ensure that meat is processed and stored under sanitary conditions.”
Mr Dayal said during large gatherings, meat should be inspected by the meat inspectors to ensure the meat is wholesome, free from disease and of no risk to human health.
“The main purpose of meat inspection is to prevent and detect public health hazards such as foodborne pathogens, contaminants, and zoonotic diseases.
“It is important to invite our livestock officers to do a thorough inspection of slaughtered livestock before they are consumed or distributed to other family members.
“We ask everyone to take heed of the advice and adhere to the rules and regulations in place.”
He said the increasing number of informal slaughters in the country for traditional obligations and festivities poses a high risk of transmission of diseases to humans.