BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – In light of the public outcry and some members of the public not being pleased with the Veterinary Public Health Act, the Ministry of Agriculture has come out to clarify the recent developments in the implementation of the Veterinary Public Health Act, which affects butcheries.
This comes after the ministry learned that some members of the public needed clarity as they were not happy with recent progress in the implementation of the Veterinary Public Health Act 17 of 2013. Yesterday, the ministry released a press statement that read: Although we do not agree with most of what is being peddled in social media circles, in recognition that continuous engagement of stakeholders is a key success factor, the Directorate of Veterinary Services invites all stakeholders (abattoir and butchery owners, feedlotters, and livestock farmer representatives) to a follow-up meeting to be held on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at the Manzini Veterinary Services Conference Room, starting at 9 a.m.
The ministry advised the public that, as they await the said meeting, the Directorate of Veterinary and Livestock Services, responsible for the implementation of the Act, would like to take this opportunity to provide the following clarifications and further guidance:
- The source of the confusion is that there were butcheries that were registered as kraals to allow them to move carcasses. Unfortunately, some started moving live animals and even conducting slaughters in the bush, contravening various legal instruments. As such, the Department of Veterinary and Livestock Services is closing all the butchery kraals.
- There is a difference between abattoirs, slaughterhouses, and butcheries. Abattoirs are constructed, licenced, and operated so that they admit live animals, slaughter them, and process them into meat. On the other hand, butcheries are licenced to sell meat to the public. The country currently has more than 50 registered abattoirs found in all four regions, and 18 of these slaughter cattle. Some of these abattoirs are operated by town councils, while others are private. It is therefore not correct that the Ministry approves and/or favours one abattoir. Butcheries are free to do business with any of the 50+ approved abattoirs.
- Abattoirs and slaughter facilities are graded or classified according to their infrastructure and the number of animals they can process. They range from slaughter slabs (Grade D),
Small abattoirs (Grade C), medium- to large-scale abattoirs (Grade B), and finally export abattoirs (Grade A). It is therefore not true that the Department of Veterinary and Livestock Services requires everybody to slaughter at an export-approved abattoir.
- The country has hundreds of butcheries, including supermarkets and some restaurants, which are mainly found in cities, towns, and business centres. These do not have any facilities to handle live animals or conduct slaughters. By default, some of these butcheries were registered as kraals to allow them to move carcasses. Unfortunately, they started moving live animals and even conducting slaughters in the bush. The Department of Veterinary and Livestock Services invited the butchery owners to a meeting in November 2023 to inform them their kraals would be closed and new documentation for moving carcasses would be introduced.
- Clearly, the situation of the various butcheries in the country cannot be the same because of their location. Example: Butchery in the Mbabane City Centre cannot start complaining about the distance and availability of abattoir services. The situation may be different for butchery in Lavumisa that may need to consult the Department of Veterinary Services to discuss specific logistics with regards to the legal requirements.
- a) The Veterinary Public Health Act 17/2013, Section 3, clarifies the scope of the act. Quotation
3 (1) This Act shall apply to unprocessed and processed animal products for human consumption at the level of primary production at the national level and those imported from third countries.
3 (2) This Act shall not apply in relation to:
- Primary production for private domestic use
b) The domestic preparation, handling, or storage of food for private domestic consumption; and
c) Traditional slaughter or ritual slaughter
Therefore, the insinuation that traditional and/or ritual slaughters will be affected is incorrect.
- Stakeholders should be aware that the Veterinary Public Health Act 17/2013 works in complementarity with other key legislation, such as the Animal Disease Act 7/1965, the Livestock Identification Act 13/2001, the Stock Theft Act of 1982, and the Public Health Act of 1969, under the Ministry of Health.
Your cooperation in this regard is greatly appreciated.
