Stop purchasing meat without stamp – Veterinary Services warns

The Veterinary Services Directorate is cautioning the public to desist from patronizing any meat from either a slaughter house or a market that has not been embossed with a stamp from the Veterinary Services Department.

The directorate has subsequently launched its quality assurance meat inspection stamping project at the Takoradi slaughter house with the aim of educating the public on the need to patronize only approved meat.

The quality assurance meat inspection stamping project, is expected to be implemented nationwide and in all the 329 slaughter houses and abattoirs in the country.

The project is to ensure that wholesome and quality meat is sold to the public and to ward off activities of illegal slaughters. Veterinary services inspectors will visit the various abattoirs and slaughter houses to verify all slaughtered animals as wholesome for public consumption.

The Takoradi slaughter house is the first to implement this project. The veterinary officers first conducted an ante-mortem inspection from the various holding pen, where the animals are housed, then to the slaughter house where they are then slaughtered.

The inspector will then inspect the prescapular lymph nodes, then the capsulated kidney to look out for other intestines including the head, tongue, liver, lungs, bladder and uterus, kidneys among others before a stamp is placed on the animal as approved meat. Unwholesome animals identified are disposed of by burying.

The head of public health department of the Veterinary Services Directorate, Dr. Bashiru Boi Kikimoto explaining the importance of the program cautioned the public not to patronize any unstamped meat from henceforth adding the strict compliance will be ensured to ward off all illegal slaughters.

The chief animal health officer in charge of Takoradi slaughter house, Anthony Menlah, said the slaughter house was already stamping inspected meats and urge the public to embrace the project.

Chairman of the Western Regional Butchers Association Alhaji Mohammed Anaba commended the veterinary services for the initiative which he believes will go a long to safeguard the health of consumers. He further pledged to ensure illegal slaughters are exposed with the introduction of the project.