NP: Government apathy closes Nepal's only international-standard slaughter house

[Guest guest]

*Nepal's only internatial standard slaughter house will be closed in a

month. Although the buffaloes continued to be transported under dreadful

circumstances here they were at least killed with a stun gun. Nepal's

livestock will continue to be killed with hammers and knives, out in the

open. *

**

*Govt apathy shuts slaughter house

*

 

DEV KUMAR SUNUWAR

 

KATHMANDU, Nov 8 - With the government failing to implement the

Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act-1999, the only international-standard

slaughterhouse established with government assistance at Thankot seven years

ago is to be shut-down in a month's time.

 

The slaughterhouse named " Quality Meat Products Ltd. " was built under the

Third Livestock Development Programme (TLDP) of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The slaughterhouse was started with the concept of public-private

partnership in 2001 with the aim of providing hygienic meat products to

Valley dwellers.

 

" We did not get a favourable environment for the smooth operation of the

slaughterhouse, " said Hira-kaji Dongol, chief of Quality Meat. " This is the

result of the government's failure to implement the Meat Act. "

 

Following the endorsement of Meat Act, eight meat traders from the Valley

had pooled together over Rs 30 million to construct this first and the

largest slaughterhouse in Kathmandu Valley. But they had banked on the

government banning unhygienic slaughter being practiced on the banks of

Bishnumati and Bagmati rivers. " But the government's failure to follow

through on its promise cost us dear. We had no option to closing down the

slaughterhouse, " said Narayan Karki, one of the investors.

 

The slaughterhouse was screening animals for sound health before slaughter,

deploying veterinarians to ensure hygienic environment and keeping meat in

deep-freeze prior to being sent to the market. Initially, the slaughterhouse

processed over 50 buffaloes out of a total of some 600-odd slaughtered for

meat in the Valley on a daily basis. But these days, it hardly gets 15

buffaloes.

 

According to Karki, the centre needs over 100 buffaloes everyday to tide

over the operating costs. And in the absence of any kind of external

assistance it was only a matter of time before it shut shop, Karki said.

 

The Act was endorsed after a number of research done on zoonotic diseases in

Nepal pointed out the harmful effects of unhygienic slaughter methods on

public health. To its credit, the government had provided financial and

technical assistance worth Rs. 5 million for the construction of the

slaughterhouse, laying the foundation for hygienic and ethical management of

meat products.

 

But Purnaman Shakya, Livestock Enterprise Development Specialist at

Community Livestock Development Programme of the then TLDP, Ministry of

Agriculture, blames the disagreements between the eight partners for the

closing of the Thankot slaughterhouse. " The conflict between private

partners sealed the fate of the slaughterhouse. "

 

Questioning the rationale behind the meat traders pointing the finger at the

government for not implementing the Meat Act, Joint Secretary at Ministry of

Local Development (MoLD) Surya Prasad Parajuli said, " The government alone

can do nothing without the cooperation of local authorities, meat traders

and the ministry. "

 

Posted on: 2008-11-08 18:54:13 (Server Time)

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Lucia de Vries

Freelance Journalist

Bagdol, Patan, Nepal

Wijk 4-47, 8321 GE Urk, Holland