Lagos State Government has declared zero tolerance for illegal abattoirs/slaughter slabs, waste mismanagement and unhygenic handling of meat.
The decision followed a joint stakeholders’ meeting involving the Ministries of the Environment, Agriculture and operators of abattoirs and slaughter slabs, in Alausa, Ikeja.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye, who chaired the meeting, said meat processing and delivery must be handled hygienically, henceforth.
Attention he added, would be given to all areas of food supply chain, with emphasis on the consumption of wholesome meat.
Bamigboye, represented by the Director of Environmental Services, Mrs. Ronke Odeneye, urged abattoir operators to clean their environment on Sundays, as agreed upon by the association.
He said waste water and blood generated from meat processing should be discharged in the drains, and the drains kept free of silt and overgrown weeds.
Bamgboye said the ministry would work with operators to give their abattoirs a face-lift to meet the required standard.
The Director, Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Michael Adeyemi, said both ministries would end environmental infractions that may emerge from abattoir mismanagement.
He said butchers should operate in mechanised abattoirs and slaughter houses where cows are slaughtered neatly, water and animal waste discharged properly to avoid pollution.
Adeyemi urged the abattoir concessionaires yet to obtain their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and fumigation certificates to do so to avoid the closure of their abattoirs.
A butcher, Mr. Kehinde Oseni, from Ilaje abattoir in Bariga pledged his association’s adherence to the laws guiding meat production.
