THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Digest this. Of the 4.5 lakh tonnes of meat generated in Kerala every year, 95 per cent comes from illegal slaughterhouses functioning across the state. The shocking revelation comes from the Kerala State Animal Welfare Board (KSAWB).
With the mushrooming of illegal slaughterhouses and meat trade becoming a huge menace, KSAWB has urged the state government to take immediate steps to end unlawful slaughtering and ensure that it happens at authorised abattoirs only. As per KSAWB estimates, each non-vegetarian in Kerala consumes an average 10g of meat per day.
Despite such a high meat consumption, the state government has not taken efforts to set up legal meat processing units or slaughterhouses under local bodies to ensure availability of safe and hygienic meat. On its part, the Kerala State Pol lut ion Control Board (KSPCB) has shut down several slaughterhouses run by various local bodies due to noncompliance with relevant rules and KSPCB norms.
Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchu Rani admitted that a majority of slaughterhouses in the state are running in an unscientific manner. Kerala also lacks a mechanism to properly screen livestock being brought from other states, she said. “The government has a clear strategy to end illegal slaughtering. It will be done in phases,” she told TNIE.
‘Plan to step up vigil’
Citing Kochi corporation, which stopped illegal slaughtering, as example, Chinchu Rani said, “The corporation is planning to tie-up with Meat Products of India (MPI) to ensure availability of safe meat. MPI has multiple slaughterhouses in the state and uses livestock farmed in Kerala. The slaughtering is done scientifically.
Local bodies can partner with such agencies,” she said, adding that the meat by MPI is sent for quality checks at the State Laboratory for Livestock, Marine and Agri Product every month.“We are also planning to step up surveillance at checkposts to ensure proper screening of animals brought to the state. Quarantining animals at checkposts is being planned too. We have taken steps in this regard,” Rani said.