FIVE of the 27 existing slaughterhouses in Cebu City should be closed as recommended by the City Government’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF).
DVMF chief Alice Utlang submitted her recommendation to outgoing Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
She had called the slaughterhouse operators to inform them of her office’s assessment. She also told them to improve the abattoirs.
The abattoirs located in Barangays Capitol Site, Labangon, Mambaling, Banilad and Mabolo were recommended closed after DVMF inspectors discovered that the buildings failed to meet government standards, meaning these are not conducive for butchering pigs, goats and other animals.
Utlang said, though, that her office had not received reports from people who fell sick after eating roasted pigs that were butchered in these slaughterhouses.
The DVMF, meanwhile, allowed seven abattoirs to operate even if their equipment and facilities are substandard as the owners promised to improve the structures and tools.
In Cebu City, there are three abattoirs that are “Double AA” classification, which means the operators can sell hogs and chickens in different parts of the country.
One slaughterhouse has “Double A” classification, which means the animals butchered there can be sold only in the locality.
The DVMF head said the slaughterhouses recommended for closure got a zero score, which means their structures do not meet government standards and they do not have the appropriate tools for butchering livestock.
The DMVF and the National Meat Inspection Service assessed the 27 abattoirs last April.
Utlang lamented that Cebu is known for its delicious roasted pig but there are abattoirs that failed the quality test.
She said the DVMF will enforce the law to ensure consumer safety.
Utlang also urged meat suppliers to butcher their livestock only in accredited slaughterhouses. (From PAC of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)