Thursday, November 22, 2007 Cebu City bans meat from Talisay abattoir
AFTER granting an extension, the Cebu City Government will refuse the entry of meat from the Talisay City abattoir starting today.
And unless the abattoir renew its National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) clearance, the ban stays, said City Veterinarian Alice Utlang.
Cebu City first warned to start seizing meat from livestock slaughtered at the Talisay City Abattoir last Nov. 15.
That was after the City Department of Veterinary Medicine (DVMF) learned that the abattoir did not renew its AA accreditation with the NMIS.
Meat from abattoirs with a double A accreditation can be sold anywhere in the country. Talisay City’s NMIS accreditation expired last May 12, 2006.
Executive Order 137 prohibits meat from an abattoir that is not accredited with the NMIS from being sold in places outside the slaughterhouse’s jurisdiction.
But after their meeting with NMIS officials last Nov. 15, Utlang, with Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s approval, gave 21 Talisay city meat dealers until today to make the necessary arrangement.
“It was extended because they asked for it. They were preparing their vehicles and processing the ID of their butcher in our office,” she said.
“They requested for another extension through the Talisay city administrator, but Mayor Osmeña said that we are already kind to them. And it’s because of the lapse of the Talisay city officials,” she said in Cebuano.
Utlang said her hot meat task force will really confiscate meat from Talisay, whose battoir supplies 40 to 50 percent of meat products in Cebu city.
Utlang, though, said their move will not adversely affect meat supply here because dealers can still have their livestock slaughtered at the Cebu City abattoir.
If not, they can do so in satellite abattoirs with DVMF meat inspectors at the Cebu city south district or in the north district.
Or, the meat dealers can go to the Sunpride Foods Corp.’s abattoir in Mandaue City that has a double A NMIS accreditation.
“Diri sila paihaw sa (Cebu) City nya nagkuha na ila butcher og ID. Tonight diri na sila paihaw,” Utlang said.
“If for Talisay ra nila ibaligya ang ilang karne, wa’y problema Talisay sila paihaw. But if for Cebu City, diri sila paihaw and we will issue a meat inspection certificate; and naa na man nay tatak nato,” she added. (RHM)
