adminTHE Poultry Producers Association (PPA) is up in arms with the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) over the latter’s joint operation with the ZRP anti-stock theft section of confiscating chickens without abattoir stickers at supermarkets and food outlets.
However, the local authority has hit back claiming that this was not a blitz but council health inspectors were simply carrying out routine inspections and enforcing the law as was required.
BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu revealed that they were guided by Public Health Regulation, Statutory Instrument 50 of 1995, which laid down the parameters to be followed when slaughtering chickens.
“There is no blitz that is taking place. These are routine inspections and where Environmental Health Officers find uninspected poultry on display for sale this is confiscated in terms of legislation regarding the slaughter and sale of the same.
“Slaughtering of poultry should be in terms of legislation, in particular the Public Health (Abattoir, Animal and Bird Slaughter and Meat Hygiene) Regulation, 1995 (Statutory Instrument 50 of 1995). The poultry breeders are encouraged to establish a communal slaughter house that can be registered which can then provide service slaughter to the poultry breeders,” said Mrs Mpofu.
According to the Statutory Instrument: “No person shall sell, or keep, transport or expose for sale any meat or offal unless — it has been obtained from animals or birds that have been slaughtered in a registered slaughter house; and the meat or offal has been inspected by a meat inspector and passed as unconditionally fit for human consumption.”
According to the petition written by PPA chairman, Mr George Nare, to the local authority and copied to the ZRP provincial anti-stock theft unit, it is alleged the two departments have been raiding restaurants, butcheries and shops in the city where they condemn and confiscate chickens that do not have abattoir stickers, which they go on and feed to dogs at the SPCA.
It is further alleged that in a bid to save their business owners of restaurants, butcheries and shops were now resorting to bribing the officials.
The blitz comes at a time when there are no registered abattoirs for chicken slaughtering in the city, accessible by small scale chicken breeders.
“Fresh, disease-free chickens found in restaurants, butcheries and shops in the city are condemned and confiscated by health inspectors and taken to SPCA to feed dogs because they do not have abattoir stickers certifying that they were inspected and found to be fit for human consumption.
“This is causing pain and suffering to the affected small scale poultry producers, furthermore this has impacted negatively on their business as some of their customers are now opting to buy chickens from large scale poultry producers whose chicken have abattoir stickers,” wrote Mr Nare.
The association further alleged that the blitz was an about turn from the local authority that 10 years ago, authorised residents to rear chicken in a bid to boost the city’s economy.
Current statistics show that one in every four households in the high density suburbs rear chickens with the majority relying on selling chickens for a living. In addition, about 140 000 day-old chickens are bought by small scale poultry producers in Bulawayo every week.
The PPA further claims that it was unrealistic for the local authority to demand that the small scale breeders adhere to the Statutory Instrument 50 of 1995, noting the economic downturn and the fact that people were already struggling to make ends meet.
Bongani Ndlovu