By Muyid Deen Suleman
Kumasi, June 23, GNA – Management of the Kumasi Abattoir Company Limited is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that meat products from the abattoir are safe for consumers in the face of a reported case of Anthrax in the Upper East Region.
It has therefore put together a committee whose mandate is to provide surveillance to ensure livestock imported into the Region are free from the disease and safe for consumption.
The Chief Butcher of the Abattoir, Mr. Ibrahim Wahab Tikuma said the measures forms part of efforts to ensure that meat products emanating from the abattoir are wholesome and safe for public consumption.
He said the formation of the committee had also strengthened its quality assurance mechanisms which had always been the hallmark of the abattoir.
Mr. Tikuma who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations, said, the Kumasi abattoir remains the safest place for Muslims to buy their livestock for the festive occasion.
“This is the centre of distribution of livestock to many parts of the country, so we are making conscious efforts to ensure that animals that are brought here are free from any form of disease,” he said.
The Chief Butcher said patronage this year seems low compared to previous years.
He attributed it to the high prices driven by low local production and currency depreciation and called on the government to provide incentives to promote local livestock production.
He said only 20 per cent of livestock were produced locally with the remaining 80 per cent coming from neighbouring countries, a situation that needed to change to ensure affordable and healthy meat products for Ghanaians.
Dr. Ernest Boateng, Head of Public Health and a Veterinary Officer at the Kumasi Abattoir, said, no single case of Anthrax had been recorded in the Ashanti Region.
He urged the public to disregard speculations about Anthrax being recorded in the region, saying that strict measures had been put in place in the interest of public health.
He assured the public that every livestock that entered the premises of the Abattoir was properly screened.
Mr. Michael Tongban, the Production Manager at the Kumasi Abattoir, said meat from the abattoir was safe for consumption because they went through various tests before being sent to various markets.
GNA