95% of Kerala’s meat comes from unlicensed slaughterhouses

95% of the 4.5 lakh tonnes of meat produced in Kerala each year originates from the state’s many illegal slaughterhouses. The Kerala State Animal Welfare Board made the alarming discovery (KSAWB).

 

The KSAWB has urged the state government to act quickly to put an end to illicit slaughtering and make sure that it only takes place at authorised abattoirs due to the mushrooming of illegal slaughterhouses and the meat trade becoming a significant threat. According to KSAWB estimates, each non-vegetarian person in Kerala eats 10g of meat on average each day.

 

Despite such high meat consumption, the state administration has not made any attempts to establish slaughterhouses or legal meat processing facilities under the control of local organisations to guarantee the provision of safe and hygienic meat. Due to violations of pertinent laws and KSPCB standards, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has, on its part, closed down a number of slaughterhouses managed by various local organisations.

 

J Chinchu Rani, the minister of animal husbandry, acknowledged that the bulk of the state’s slaughterhouses operate without using scientific methods. ‘Kerala also lacks a system for adequately inspecting animals imported from neighbouring states.’ ‘To put an end to illegal killing, the government has a clear plan. It will be completed in stages’ She informed TNIE.

 

Chinchu Rani gave the example of Kochi Corporation, which banned unlawful slaughtering, ‘In order to guarantee the availability of safe meat, the corporation plans to collaborate with Meat Products of India (MPI). MPI uses animals raised in Kerala and operates several slaughterhouses in the region. The killing process is scientific.’

 

Local governments may collaborate with these organisations, ‘She continued by saying that every month, MPI sends meat to the State Laboratory for Livestock, Marine, and Agri Product for quality inspections.’

 

‘In order to ensure that animals imported into the state are properly screened, we also intend to increase surveillance at checkpoints. Also proposed is the quarantining of animals at checkpoints. We’ve taken action in this direction’ said Rani.