Shorter queues, faster Eid day operations at abattoirs

At the Dubai Abattoir

Dubai abattoir witnessed shorter queues and faster operations on the first day of Eid Al Adha, a senior Dubai Municipality official said.
Ali Tahir Al Hammadi, head of the abattoirs section at the municipality said 1,650 animals were slaughtered during the first five hours at Al Qusais, Dubai. The operations commenced after Eid prayers at 7.30am.
He said that by 1pm, residents completed their sacrifices, and shifts began for charities in two halls. "This year's operations were faster than any other year. In the past, we were normally able to slaughter around 800 animals in five hours, but we doubled that number this year," said Al Hammadi.
He added that in previous years, abattoirs across Dubai would slaughter around 2,500 animals per day, but given operations on the first day alone, the department this year is expecting to see not less than 100 per cent increase.
"We were scheduled to begin sacrificing for charities by 4pm, but we started at 1pm since we finished slaughtering animals for residents. This will enable us to enlarge our capacity for more residents who wish to use abattoirs at any time of the day," said Al Hammadi.
A total of 120 butchers from outside the country and 70 local butchers are on service at abattoirs across Dubai, along with 35 vets who conduct medical check ups on animals before their slaughter.
Present at the abattoir was Ali Dad Al Baloshi, Government Relations Officer at Beit Al Khair Society, who said the process of slaughtering 5,000 animals to distribute among the needy across the UAE had begun and is expected to finish during the first day of Eid given the early start.
To avoid Eid rush and encourage residents to avoid sacrificing at homes or open spaces, Dubai Municipality has introduced the smart abattoir that enables smartphone users to order, and slaughter, small Australian livestock online.
Al Hammadi said orders for the first and second day of Eid have already run out, and Al Mawashi App is now receiving orders for the third and fourth days,
"A total of 300 purchases were made on the first day through the app and 500 for the second day. We have now scheduled 600 livestock for sale on the third day," said Al Hammadi.
A new hall was added this year at Dubai Abattoir, with six slaughtering lines aiming to sacrifice 300 animals per hour. The abattoir now has two automatic lines - one line for large animals and eight lines for smaller animals. Temporary abattoirs at Al Khawaneej, next to the municipality's veterinary section, and in Al Quoz, next to Al Quoz Park 1, have been established for slaughtering services and delivery points for Al Mawashi app users.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com