Experts, residents decry state of abattoirs in two Nigerian states –Survey

Veterinary experts and residents of Abia and Imo States have expressed concerns over the conditions of abattoirs in the two states, describing them as substandard and unhygienic.

A cross-section of the respondents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the existing abattoirs lacked the modern facilities required in the 21st century.

An Umuahia-based veterinarian, Nwabueze Ibeneme, said the physical conditions and functional status of abattoirs in Abia were grossly below standard requirements.

Mr Ibeneme told NAN that the state of abattoirs in the state was generally deplorable, citing their unhygienic conditions and poor meat handling, which exposed the meat to contaminants.

He said the abattoirs in the state lacked lairage, a place where animals are rested before slaughter.

“When an animal is not well rested before slaughter, it affects the quality of the meat it produces,” he said.

Mr Ibeneme also said that the absence of proper antemortem inspection, inadequate water supply and the lack of functional animal waste management were noticed in all the abattoirs in the state.

He said that poor meat handling results in the contamination of meat with dust and sand, making it unpalatable.

“This also results in meat spoilage and reduction of its quality,” he said.

According to him, poor meat handling encourages the spread of zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis, anthrax, helminthiasis, and salmonellosis, among others.

Components of a standard abattoir

Mr Ibeneme further said that the components of a standard abattoir included a standard laboratory for antemortem inspection, a good source of water, lairage, and a good waste management system.

Therefore, he called on the Abia State Government to urgently build standard abattoirs with these components in major cities in the state.

Mr Ibeneme also urged the government to employ more veterinarians to handle the ante and post-mortem inspections to ensure that wholesome meat products were made available for human consumption.

He highlighted the importance of providing a platform to train butchers on basic issues concerning meat handling.

Abattoir shares a fence with a burial ground

A butcher at the Goodmorning Market in Aba, Abia State, Kingsley Nnaji, said that the procedure for processing meat in the market was fine.

Mr Nnaji, however, pointed out that some facilities in the market needed to be upgraded for better and cleaner meat processing.

He said that the abattoir required an upgrade with modern equipment that would improve the neatness of meat handling.

Another butcher, Onyebuchi Monday, said the abattoir shared a fence with a burial ground and should be relocated to another area.

According to him, it is not fit for an abattoir to operate near a burial ground.

He urged the state government to also improve the system of handling hides and skins, which were roasted in fire made with old tyres.

Mr Monday said the smoke from the tyres, which they inhaled, was not healthy; hence, that aspect of meat handling should be given urgent attention and upgraded.

Joy Smart, a cafeteria operator who regularly visits the meat market, said the butchers were trying hard to keep the environment hygienic.

“After every day’s business, the butchers and the Goodmorning Market Abattoir operators clean up the environment and tables.

“They also come on Saturdays to clean the abattoir and the entire market, and during the exercise, they do not slaughter or sell meat,” Mrs Smart said.

However, she added that the facilities at the abattoir and the market could be improved to help the butchers deliver better services to the public.

The abattoirs in Imo

In Imo State, a NAN correspondent who visited some abattoirs reports that the butchers handled the meat with little regard for hygiene.

Tables for the display of meat were largely unkempt, with stains from caked and dry blood.

He observed that condemned tyres were used to process cow skin, popularly called “kanda.”

Nevertheless, the slaughter slabs were neatly maintained, as the butchers ensured that they were washed as soon as they concluded slaughtering and dismembering the cow.

Some of the butchers, who spoke on the poor conditions of the abattoirs, appealed to the state government to build standard abattoirs with modern facilities, including covered pens to protect the cows from harsh weather conditions.

A resident in Imo, Eunice Iwuchukwu, said that the state of the abattoirs in Owerri left much to be desired.

Mrs Iwuchukwu said that Nigerians were being saved from contracting animal diseases because meat was usually cooked until it was well done to effectively neutralise diseases.

Another resident, Obinna Isukwem, condemned the practice of selling blood and cattle urine to people who either boiled the blood as meat or used the urine for alternative medicine.

Mr Isukwem called for measures to ensure that animal blood was only sold for processing into animal feed while the urine was safely disposed of to avoid potentially harmful practices.

A veterinarian, Peace Egbuchulam, called for the destruction of contaminated animals to avoid the transmission of zoonotic diseases to human consumers.

Ms Egbuchulam said that the diseases should be detected during the pre-slaughter inspections by animal health workers.

She said that vets and health workers should look out for diseases, while also checking the history of the animals to ensure they never suffered from any disease that is potentially harmful to humans.

Ms Egbuchulam, however, said that animal owners often conceal contaminated animals and slaughter them without the knowledge of the inspectors.

She said that the unwholesome practice posed health risks, such as antibiotic resistance, to consumers of such contaminated meat.

“When an inspector is on duty, he should examine the animal properly before it is slaughtered to detect if it is sick or compromised in any way.

“Sick animals should then be destroyed under close supervision to ensure that they are not sold to unsuspecting consumers.

“Some animal owners prefer to slaughter their animals when they are not responding to treatment to avoid losses.

“This practice is harmful to consumers because the drugs used in treating the animals are then ingested by human consumers.

“This usually leads to antibiotic resistance and possible transmission of animal diseases, such as anthrax and tuberculosis, to humans,” she said.

She, however, clarified that the whole animal should not be destroyed, pointing out that only the affected part should be destroyed if the disease was localised, while the rest could be safely consumed.