'I have to drive 120km to get fresh meat'

Ras Al Khaimah - RAK has four central slaughterhouses

Although the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) has four central slaughterhouses, residents of the northern areas have voiced their concern get one in their vicinity to meet their daily and seasonal needs.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, they said they have to drive 120km to the Filya area to buy fresh meat.

"The Ras Al Khaimah and Filya slaughterhouses are the nearest to us, and we have to drive for 120km - 60km going and 60km coming back - just to buy fresh meat, and that gets very tiring."

The RAK Municipality, in response, announced that it will soon be building an abattoir to serve the remote villages in the north parts of the emirate.

Ali Rashid, an Emirati living in Al Jeer area, said they do not have a single slaughterhouse in the northern areas of the emirate. "These include big cities, such as Al Rams, Ghalila, Al Jeer, Dhaia, Al Rahbi, Shaam, and Khor Khuweir."

The people here have no other option to get fresh meat, but to drive a long distance of 120km for a two-way trip to any of the nearest slaughterhouses, he added. "The closest to us are the RAK and Filya abattoirs."

Mohammed Salem, an Emirati of Al Rams area, said he could not sacrifice an animal in the last Eid Al Adha because of there was no abattoir in his area. "Having no slaughterhouse here gives us hard time and we fail to carry out even such religious responsibilities or even fulfil our needs on several occasions."

The only possible option Salem had was to contribute the money to a charity society to offer the Adahi on his behalf. "People here do not need the abattoir for only their Adahi, but also for their daily needs and social occasions, like weddings and banquets," Salem added.

Saleh Mansour, an Emirati of Shaam area, said a new abattoir there will provide them not only with slaughtering services but will take care of so many important issues as well. "The animals will be examined by competent vets before and after slaughtering, and that service may only be secured in an official abattoir so that there will be no room for communicable diseases to be transferred from animals to humans."

Another Emirati Mustafa Abdullah, resident of Shaam area, said the central abattoir will put an end to illegal practice of hiring street butchers. "Everybody agrees that unlicensed slaughtering off the abattoir is risky, but people still go for such practices as they have no other option. There is no slaughterhouse in the vicinity!"

Munzir bin Shukr, director general of the RAK municipality, said the civic body is currently studying the proposal. "A modern slaughterhouse could be built in one of the villages of the northern areas of the emirate."

However, everything is still under study, he pointed out. "The RAK municipality has built a modern slaughterhouse in the Manei area; some140km off RAK city, for the people of the southern area of the emirate, and we will most likely build a similar one for the northern areas."

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah