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Unwholesome meat products are those that would have gone bad and may cause discomforts ranging from upset stomachs, mild diarrhoea to severe stomach cramps.
Uninspected meat on the other hand comes from beasts that are slaughtered, often under unhygienic conditions, without the supervision of a qualified meat inspector. Such meat may also cause anthrax.
Asst Comm Dumbura said national stock theft cases decreased from 13 531 in 2011 to 11 289 last year with the recovery rate of stolen beasts increasing by 16 percent.
He attributed the achievements to commitment to duty by the police and support from the community.
“The number of cattle recovered in 2011 was 4 519 compared to 4 953 in 2012. The number of stock theft cases that were reported also decreased by 12 percent to 5 509 from 6 269 during the same period,” said Asst Comm Dumbura.
He said hard work by stakeholders had resulted in the arrest of 1 328 suspected rustlers while 20 376 people were arrested for livestock theft related cases.
Asst Comm Dumbura said some in the meat industry were endangering customers’ lives and health by ignoring statutes on handling of their products.
“Butchery owners are allowing employees to handle meat without being medically examined. The practice is in contravention of Statutory Instrument 41 of 1994, Public Health (Medical Examinations) (Food Handlers),” said Asst Comm Dumbura.
Section 3 (1) of SI 41/94 stipulates that: “No person shall employ and no person shall undertake employment as a food handler unless he has been certified by a medical practitioner registered as such under the Medical, Dental and Allied Professions Act (Chapter 224) to be free from typhoid, enteric fever or any other infectious disease.”
Asst Comm Dumbura said some butchery owners continued to flout laws regarding transportation of livestock, slaughtering of the animals and their registration, thereby creating a loophole for rustlers to find a market for stolen animals.
He encouraged farmers to brand their cattle for easy identification when police recover them from thieves. Asst Comm Dumbura said since March 2011, 230 000 brand certificates were issued to farmers by the Registrar General’s Office with the assistance of the police.
“During 2013, the National Anti Stocktheft will conduct Phase 2 of the cattle branding campaign code-named ‘Cattle Branding Model Vilage/Kithi Inkomo Sesatshisa/Kuno Mombe Takachisa’,” he said.
Asst Comm Dumbura said the police had come up with strategies that were in line with the force’s strategic plan, Vision 2020, which he said were paying dividends in the fight to eradicate rustling.
“We have engaged traditional leaders in community policing issues and intensified campaigns and patrols focusing on target hardening.
“We are also conducting operations aimed at eliminating illegal livestock and meat markets. The involvement of the business community in various information sharing platforms and engaging of stakeholders such as meat inspectors, veterinary officers and other specialist services during operations as a way of bringing expertise when conducting operations has also been very helpful,” said Asst Comm Dumbura.
The National Anti Stock Theft drive that was launched in 2005 has resulted in a marked decrease of rustling cases from about 27 000 every year to about 12 148 last year.
The Government made restocking of the national herd a priority just before embarking on the land reform programme.
Sentences for stock theft were increased to about nine years per stolen beast to deter would-be rustlers and boost restocking.
The anti-stock theft drive and branding are part of Government’s effort to safeguard the livestock wealth of the country.
Online Reporter