Twenty (20) abattoirs whose rate of compliance with the meat safety standards has been audited by the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will be acknowledged and presented with certificates at a ceremony scheduled to take place on Thursday, 10 October 2013, at White House Guest Lodge in Klerksdorp.
The awarding of both high and low throughput abattoirs is done in an effort to ensure that abattoirs in the Province comply with the requirements as set out in the Meat Safety Act and its regulations. Rural abattoirs that are classified as emerging will also be given special awards in recognition of their efforts to improve levels of compliance.
Of the 20 abattoirs which participated in the hygiene assessment, eleven (11) are in Poultry while nine are in the Red Meat industry. These abattoirs were assessed on a quarterly basis under the Abattoir Hygiene Rating Scheme (AHRS), which uses a nationally designed checklist and the Hygiene Assessment System (HAS) for standardisation of the audits.
“The Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000 dictates that all abattoirs must be monitored on a regular basis by the Veterinary Public Health officials. It also provides for measures in promoting meat safety, safety of animal products and to establish and maintain essential national standards in respect of abattoirs”, explained Dr Langa Madyibi, Director for Veterinary Services in the department.
The act is meant to ensure that abattoirs are suitable for slaughtering of animals and that the processes meet the minimum requirements and certify that the meat produced is safe for human consumption.
The MEC for Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms Desbo Mohono who will announce the best performing abattoirs during the ceremony, says the assessment and awarding exercises encourage competition among abattoirs, thus enhancing better performance and compliance.
“It has been five years since we started recognising the abattoirs’ commitment towards full compliance, and the department is happy that abattoirs are also using the outcomes of the scheme to get a competitive advantage in the market”, says MEC Mohono.
Members of the media are invited to the ceremony that will start at 09h00 at White House Guest Lodge in Klerksdorp.
