The new provisions came to light after local authority this week enforced Slaughter House Directives for the first time in the city in a bid to regulate the meat trading. [break]
“The directives fundamentally aim to assure consumers on hygiene and quality of meat products they consume,” said Meghnath Kafle, chief of Sub-Metropolitan City.
The directive has been issued under the joint initiative of Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City, District Livestock Service Office (DLSO), Office of Standard and Metrology, District Administration and meat traders, among others.
As it seeks traders to operate with minimum basic infrastructure and follow standard operating norms, traders admitted it will benefit everybody.
“Meat traders will now need to register their businesses with the Sub-Metropolitan Office and get license for starting the business,” reads the directive. Though there are about 600 meat shops in Pokhara, only about 100 of them are registered with Sub-Metropolitan City at present. “We will bring the remaining outlets under this law,” said Kafle.
The directive seeks the traders to make sure that the animals are healthy and safe to eat before slaughtering them. For this, they will need to approach DLSO, which will inspect the animals and issue health certification.
The directive divides Pokhara into 12 zones to carry out health inspection of the livestock. “The health inspection of animals will be carried out on a regular basis as well as on the demand of traders,” said Kedar Raj Pandey, a DLSO official.
Also, the traders can slaughter and sell the meat products of only those animals for which they are licensed. This means meat shops licensed to deal with chicken cannot sell mutton or buff now.
The directive categorically bars traders from using any chemicals, colors or drugs to make the meat look attractive. It also lays down a clear specification for the storage to keep the meat fresh. Interestingly, the new rule also restricts traders form selling meat with skin.
“The meat products should be sold skinless,” said Kafle, adding that such a rule was made considering the health concerns.
Meat traders will also need to report the numbers of animals slaughtered and amount of meat sold to the Sub-Metropolitan Office on a daily basis as well as at the end of every month.
If the traders failed to comply, the Sub-Metropolitan Office will issue the first warning by slapping them a penalty of Rs 1,000. If they still failed to listen, the office will again slap Rs 2,000 in penalty. If they violated the directive for the third time, the office can annul their operating license and take action against them for disregarding public health.
The local authority has also formed an eight-member inspection team to make sure the directive is implemented. “We believe the new measures will discourage the people involved in food adulteration,” Basanta Chalise, an inspector at Sub-Metropolitan Office, said.
Officials said they will give some time to the traders to comply with the registration and other provisions of the directive. In Pokhara, 7,000 kg of mutton and 30,000 kg of chicken is consumed every day.
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