SHOAIB SHAIKH
shoaib@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Rubbishing allegations of illegalities at the State-run abattoir at Usgao, Department of Animal Husbandry and Goa Meat Complex stated that due process is followed when animals are slaughtered at the premises.
Speaking to Herald, Assistant Director of Animal Husbandry, Dr Rajaram Naik, said that an ante-mortem is carried out before the animal is sent for slaughter. Ante-mortem is the certification that the animal is fit, as per the Goa Animal Preservation Act, which includes an inspection of the documents and animals carried out before the animals are allowed inside the abattoir.
“When the animals are brought and kept, a doctor from the department analyses all the documents for the authenticity of the cattle that is being presented. The doctor from where the cattle is brought provides a detailed description of the animal and it is verified before the animal is sent for slaughter,” he stated.
Asked about irregularities that traders might be involved in, he said traders would not want to get the animal rejected and therefore don’t dare involve in irregularity. “Traders don’t take a chance as the inspection is strict,” he added.
Responding to question on care for the cattle, Naik said the cattle are provided with clean water and sufficient feed with shelter. He reiterated that no cow is slaughtered in Goa as it is amongst the first states to have banned cow slaughter in 1978.
Goa Meat Complex Managing Director Dr UVT Pednekar said that after the slaughter, two veterinary doctors perform the post-mortem and certify whether the meat is fit for consumption or not.
He said, “Goa Meat Complex, after the modernisation process, has become fully mechanised and therefore high standards of hygiene are maintained. The doctors certify the meat and only then the meat is stored in chillers and from there it is transported to the shops.”
Regarding waste products from the animal after the slaughter, he said that as per the directions of the Supreme Court a rendering plant has been set-up within the complex. “Here all the waste from the animals at the abattoir as well as the bones from the shops, which are brought back by the traders, are scientifically disposed-off. The waste is converted into powder,” he added.
He, however, stated that the responsibility of seeking permits for vehicles and other documents to transport waste from the shops to the complex is on the traders.
