The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is set to commission a new multi-purpose abattoir at Jamestown in Accra as part of efforts to improve meat processing, strengthen veterinary inspection and protect public health in the metropolis.
The facility has been developed to provide a more organised and hygienic environment for the slaughtering, processing and storage of animals intended for human consumption.
The new abattoir features several dedicated sections designed to improve the handling of animals and meat at different stages of the process.
These include an offloading bay, veterinary inspection section, changing rooms, storage facilities, washrooms, freezing bays, slaughtering and slamming areas, an animal drinking pond and a cattle lairage for keeping animals before slaughter.
The facility’s layout is intended to support proper movement and handling of livestock from the point of arrival through inspection, slaughtering, processing and storage.
Under the arrangement, animals delivered to the abattoir are expected to be received and kept in the designated holding area before undergoing veterinary examination. Only animals approved by veterinary officers will proceed to slaughter and subsequent processing for distribution to the market.
The provision of dedicated spaces for veterinary inspection and the various stages of meat handling is expected to enhance compliance with food safety, sanitation and environmental health requirements.
The project is also aimed at addressing health risks associated with unhygienic slaughtering practices, poor handling of meat and inadequate storage conditions.
For residents of Accra, the facility is expected to contribute to improved food safety by helping ensure that meat supplied to the market undergoes slaughtering and processing under controlled sanitary and veterinary conditions.
Beyond its public health benefits, the abattoir is expected to support economic activity in Jamestown and surrounding communities.
Butchers, livestock traders, meat processors, transporters and other businesses connected to the meat value chain are expected to benefit from the improved facility and the activities it will generate.
The commissioning of the abattoir therefore represents an effort by the AMA to combine improved public health standards with support for livelihoods within the local meat industry.
The facility is expected to become an important component of the metropolis’s efforts to promote safer meat production and improve sanitary conditions within the livestock and meat-processing sector.
By 1960news.com
