By Isaac Newton Tetteh
Kpone (near Tema) April 4, GNA – Dr. Emmanuel Kwao Pecku, Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Veterinary Officer, has ordered the temporal closure of the Turaku slaughter slab due to some serious health issues emanating from the site.
Dr Pecku tasked the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly to immediately take the necessary measures to close the abattoir and upgrade it to a modern abattoir to prevent the spread of Bovine Tuberculosis and to provide meat inspection officers with the necessary equipment to carry out their duties at the slaughter slab.
He revealed in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema that the Turaku Kraal was established as an emergency shelter for animals that may have suffered injuries while being transported to different markets in Ashaiman, Tema, and parts of Accra.
He observed that the facility had been converted into a slaughter slab over the years and was now being overused, with no appropriate measures in place to ensure that consumers of meat from that source were eating wholesome meat.
Dr Pecku said on average, no more than 20 animals, including cows, goats, and other ruminants, should be slaughtered at the slaughter slab in a day, but that the situation was drastically different, with over 100 ruminants slaughtered at the site by butchers and other individuals from neighbouring communities.
According to the Municipal Veterinary Officer, the slab’s proximity to the meat market and the low cost of animal slaughter compared to other slaughtering houses were contributing factors to the numerous challenges it faced.
He revealed that 261 Bovine Tuberculosis Lesion cases were documented between 2021 and 2022, and he urged meat consumers to pay close attention to where they buy their meats for both domestic and commercial consumption.
GNA