About 65 to 75 per cent ‘bush meat’ have been poisoned – Veterinary Council

The Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ghana, Kingsley Mickey Aryee, has said per the new law, traders along the roads will be required to produce permit from a veterinary inspector before they can sell to the public.

According to him, this will ensure that the meats are safe for consumption as research shows that about 65 to 75 per cent have been poisoned.

He explained that most hunters poison the animal “before they use sticks to hit them to give the carcasses some semblance of being hunted.”

In an interview with Daily Graphic, Kingsley Mickey Aryee said the bush meat sales had been included in a new law; Meat Inspection Regulations, 2020, which came into force on July 20, 2020.

“It is a very important thing and we insisted on putting in [the law] bush meat because we have done some research, which found out that most game — about 65 to 75 per cent - have been poisoned.”

He added that veterinary officers were able to detect the poison in the carcasses by their smell and other investigations conducted.

Mr Aryee also advised traders to patronize meat from standard abattoirs that have proper inlet and outlets while he urged individuals to patronize meats that have stamps.

“Abattoirs are automated or semi-automated, and those are actually the standard. Abattoirs have proper inlets and outlets, and when you are designing an abattoir, you have to be very particular about the inlet and the outlet,” he said.

“I tell you: if you are going to buy meat, look out for meat that has been stamped,” he warned.