New abattoir, health check for livestock as Sharjah gears up for Eid

Slaughtering animals in public places poses health risks, Sharjah residents warned

From setting up a modern abattoir to traffic regulation, the civic body in Sharjah has made arrangements to ensure public safety during Eid Al Adha holidays.
The Sharjah Municipality urged the residents to avoid public slaughtering of animals as it poses health risks and amounts to violation of rules.
The municipality has announced that it will set up a modern abattoir in the direction of Al Jazirah Al Hamra to meet the rush during the Eid.
The civic body also warned of confiscation of animal by municipal inspectors, if residents were found slaughtering them outdoors.
Omar Salim, Assistant Director-General for Customer Service at the municipality, said that the civic body is coordinating with Sharjah Police to organise traffic at the entrances and exits of markets and slaughterhouses.
For his part, Ibrahim Ahmed Al Rais, Head of Safety and Inspection Department said that the municipal inspection team will follow up with establishments operating in the livestock sector to ensure that they have commercial licences. The department is also cooperating with the Ministry of Trade and Economy to keep a tab on the prices.
The municipality will take strict action against those who engage in slaughtering activity without obtaining approvals by the authorities concerned in the emirate.
Also, the municipality will be allocating parking zones including 75 stands for owners of farms to sell their livestock, which will be subjected to health safety inspection.
Health check for livestock
Meanwhile, Shaikha Shaza Al Mualla, Director of Public Health Department said that department has directed officials to monitor livestock health matters in order to prevent traders from selling 'ailing' animals, and also assigned doctors to accompany the inspectors during their visits.
Abdul Wahab Al Mubashar, Head of Veterinary Services Section at Sharjah Municipality, said that the Sharjah Central Abattoir is equipped to receive the sacrifices from 6 in the morning until 8 in the evening, over two shifts in the morning and evening. As many as 26 butchers will be working, in addition to veterinarians who will check the animals before and after slaughter. If the meat is found not good for consumption, it will be destroyed and the owner will be given a destruction certificate
He said that the municipality has provided the slaughterhouse with 30 containers and a supportive staff including 60 workers and supervisors from the day of Arafah until the third day of Eid to oversee the hygienic operations.
He added that the abattoir receives between 650-700 sacrificial animal per day during the Eid, and that the current slaughterhouse can handle 60 big sacrifices and 120 small sacrifices in one hour.
The municipality will also monitor the streets and will convince people who are not aware of danger in buying cattle of unknown origin and do slaughter inside houses and apartments.
amira@khaleejtimes.com

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