Court convicts butchers for processing meat with burt lorry tyres

Accra, Sept. 21, GNA - The Adjabeng Magistrate Court on Thursday remanded five butchers and convicted three others to a fine of 480,000 cedis or in default three months imprisonment each for processing their slaughtered animals with used lorry tyres at an unauthorised places in Accra.

The five remanded butchers, Salifu Musah, Yekobide Atia, Karim Iddrisu, Issaka Musah and Atanga Abana, told the court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kwacuvi-Tay that they could only speak Dagbani and as there was no Dagbani interpreter they were remanded to reappear on September 27, for hearing.

The three, who pleaded guilty and were convicted on their own plea are Seidu Mohammed, Abubakari Alhassan and Mohammed Zakari were fined accordingly, while the court ordered that the meat ceased from them should be inspected to ascertain its wholesomeness at an approved slaughter house.

Prosecuting, Mr Samuel Norgbey, the Environmental Health Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, told the court that the accused persons were arrested by Accra Metropolitan Assembly taskforce led by Mrs Christiana Adzah, the District Environmental Health Officer at their hide out at Avenor and Awudome using old lorry tyres in burning the slaughtered animals for human consumption.

He said despite advice, notices, education and several warnings to them to stop using lorry tyres since it is injurious and dangerous to human consumption and either use firewood or gas to burn slaughtered animals have not been heeded to.

Mr. Norgbey told the court that the continuous use of the lorry tyres to burn the animals is causing smoke, nuisance and environmental pollution to residents in the area, hence their arrest and prosecution. 21 Sept. 07