Illegal abattoir: Beware, that meat may endanger your life
DO you know that meats slaughtered in any illegal abattoir may be dangerous to human health? How? They are not tested by any competent Veterinary Doctors to certify their safety consumption level for human.
Earlier in the year, some butchers in the state dared government's ability to bite as they vowed never to comply with the directive to distribute meat, particularly beef, using the approved Eko Meat Vans.
The butchers, under the Umbrella of Lagos Island Associations, particularly, took government to court to contest the use of Eko Meat Vans. Their grouse was that the vans were too few and might be too expensive to hire since they were contracted to private operators.
Enormous challenge
The development, it was said, posed enormous challenge to the administration's new law to check the way meat is being transported in the state.
Government set up a task-force to arrest people who use motorcycles, wheelbarrows and other unhygienic means to transport meat in the state. The provision of the new law disallows anyone to convey meat from the abattoir to any part of Lagos State except by Eko Meat Vans, while the services of the vans had been contracted out.
Subsequently, the associations directed their members to disregard the state government's earlier directive, pending the determination of the substantive suit in court.
"The government should go and put their house in order first before coming out with this frivolous law. We refuse to be intimidated or harassed," said one of the butchers.
Meantime, the state government last week commenced total clamp down on operators of illegal abattoirs and arrested 37 butchers at Otto-Awori Abattoir, in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area, LCDA. The abattoir had been in operation for over 15 years.
The suspects were arrested by the combined team of state Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives officials, with state Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences.
The taskforce men, led by the its Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, Chief Superintendent of Police, also impounded two vehicles- a Toyota Hilux with registration number: XY 438-AAA and a Mazda 626 with registration number KSF-444 AJ as well as four cows and fresh meats, worth several thousands of Naira were impounded.
The illegal abattoir is top on 20 other illegal abattoir identified by the state government.
However, the leader of the butchers, Mr. Adewunmi Olasheu, said "we don't know that the place is not a legal abattoir because we have been slaughtering cow at the abattoir for over 15 years. And they pay N18, 000 and N5, 000 weekly to the state government and the LCDA respectively. We were issued receipts authenticating payments."
Olasheu, explained that the money was paid to the coffers of both governments due to the huge number of cow slaughtered daily, adding "we slaughter over 15 cows daily."
Illegal abattoirs
The Special adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Nurein Funsho and the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Agriculture and co-operatives, Mr. Yakub Bashorun said 20 illegal abattoirs had been identified in the state.
Bashorun said: "The meat slaughtered and sold at illegal abattoirs tended to be unwholesome as animals were not subjected to government's health safety checks before they were slaughtered for sale. These illegal abattoirs operate without license. There are no veterinary officers inspecting the meat. They have absolutely no organized structure. They just operate anywhere, pollute the environment and pose health risks to residents."
The Special Adviser urged those still operating illegal slabs to halt their operations forthwith, vowing that the government would ensure they face the wrath of the law, if caught
*Features of a standard abattoir
State government's approval, at least, a Veterinary Doctor, sanitary inspectors, Eko Meat Vans for meat transportation, clean environment, with portable water facility and an effluent channel for discharging wastes and animal by-products into water bodies.
Earlier in the year, some butchers in the state dared government's ability to bite as they vowed never to comply with the directive to distribute meat, particularly beef, using the approved Eko Meat Vans.
The butchers, under the Umbrella of Lagos Island Associations, particularly, took government to court to contest the use of Eko Meat Vans. Their grouse was that the vans were too few and might be too expensive to hire since they were contracted to private operators.
Enormous challenge
The development, it was said, posed enormous challenge to the administration's new law to check the way meat is being transported in the state.
Government set up a task-force to arrest people who use motorcycles, wheelbarrows and other unhygienic means to transport meat in the state. The provision of the new law disallows anyone to convey meat from the abattoir to any part of Lagos State except by Eko Meat Vans, while the services of the vans had been contracted out.
Subsequently, the associations directed their members to disregard the state government's earlier directive, pending the determination of the substantive suit in court.
"The government should go and put their house in order first before coming out with this frivolous law. We refuse to be intimidated or harassed," said one of the butchers.
Meantime, the state government last week commenced total clamp down on operators of illegal abattoirs and arrested 37 butchers at Otto-Awori Abattoir, in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area, LCDA. The abattoir had been in operation for over 15 years.
The suspects were arrested by the combined team of state Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives officials, with state Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences.
The taskforce men, led by the its Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, Chief Superintendent of Police, also impounded two vehicles- a Toyota Hilux with registration number: XY 438-AAA and a Mazda 626 with registration number KSF-444 AJ as well as four cows and fresh meats, worth several thousands of Naira were impounded.
The illegal abattoir is top on 20 other illegal abattoir identified by the state government.
However, the leader of the butchers, Mr. Adewunmi Olasheu, said "we don't know that the place is not a legal abattoir because we have been slaughtering cow at the abattoir for over 15 years. And they pay N18, 000 and N5, 000 weekly to the state government and the LCDA respectively. We were issued receipts authenticating payments."
Olasheu, explained that the money was paid to the coffers of both governments due to the huge number of cow slaughtered daily, adding "we slaughter over 15 cows daily."
Illegal abattoirs
The Special adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Nurein Funsho and the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Agriculture and co-operatives, Mr. Yakub Bashorun said 20 illegal abattoirs had been identified in the state.
Bashorun said: "The meat slaughtered and sold at illegal abattoirs tended to be unwholesome as animals were not subjected to government's health safety checks before they were slaughtered for sale. These illegal abattoirs operate without license. There are no veterinary officers inspecting the meat. They have absolutely no organized structure. They just operate anywhere, pollute the environment and pose health risks to residents."
The Special Adviser urged those still operating illegal slabs to halt their operations forthwith, vowing that the government would ensure they face the wrath of the law, if caught
*Features of a standard abattoir
State government's approval, at least, a Veterinary Doctor, sanitary inspectors, Eko Meat Vans for meat transportation, clean environment, with portable water facility and an effluent channel for discharging wastes and animal by-products into water bodies.
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