Abattoirs fall ‘far below’ hygienic standards

Dar es Salaam. At least 98 per cent of abattoirs in the country are not registered and fall far below the required hygienic standards.

The Controller and Auditor General (CAG), Prof Mussa Assad revealed in the performance report for the year that ended on March 31.

According the CAG report, the abattoirs have not been maintained in the required standards, stressing that nine of the 12 visited slaughterhouses were unhygienic.

The report also reveals that the country faces a 40 per cent shortage of meat inspectors, a situation that compromises efficiency and accuracy of inspections.

Because of the shortage, the meat inspectors were required to inspect between 100 and 155 slaughtered animal per day.

Furthermore, a performance audit report on the Hygiene Control Mechanisms in Meat Production Process reported that, not all slaughtered animals were inspected.

The report also disclosed that there that some of the available meat inspectors were lacking the needed skills.

It further states that ineffective inspection of the slaughterhouses was highlighted by the presence of multiple unregistered abattoirs and meat carrier vans whose hygiene do not meet the standards.

According to the report, from 2010/11 to 2013/14, the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) managed to inspect 37.738 per cent (380 out 1,009) of the slaughter facilities in the country whereas the ministry of Livestock and Fisheries did not conduct any inspection from 2011/12 to 2014/15.