Agriculture and Marine Resources Undersecretary, Shaikh Khalifa bin Isa Al Khalifa, has tasked the Control and Animal Health Directorate to intensify inspection and follow-up campaigns in markets and outlets selling and trading in meat and meat products to address any irregularities that may harm the health of citizens and residents ahead of Eid al-Adha.

The move follows directives from His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to take all the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of imported food and products to preserve public health in Bahrain.
 
The undersecretary explained that the inspection campaigns aim to ascertain that the health standards followed before and after the slaughter process are respected, and to make sure that the government’s slaughter seals are on all types of meat.
 
They also make sure that animals are slaughtered inside the slaughterhouses licensed by the government and supervised by veterinarians to ensure that meat is suitable for human consumption, he said, calling on meat vendors not to use unlicensed slaughterhouses for the safety and health of consumers, and asserting that deterrent legal measures will be taken against violators.
 
He added that the inspection campaigns on the central markets and outlets in are held throughout the year, but are intensified during this period, in order to completely eliminate the phenomenon of unhealthy slaughtering and to ensure the availability of meat throughout the Kingdom in healthy and safe ways to preserve the lives and health of the citizens and residents.
 
The undersecretary reassured consumers that all livestock in the local market goes through strict veterinary procedures within the veterinary quarantine before it is distributed to the market.
 
Shaikh Khalifa bin Isa said that the Agriculture and Marine Wealth Under secretariat takes a number of precautionary measures to ensure the safety of livestock and imported meat before it is allowed entry into the local market.
 
The procedures include the monitoring of developments of the epidemiological situation in the world, as well as visits by veterinary teams to those countries, especially countries that are open for import for the first time, he said, adding that there are periodic visits to meat-exporting countries to ensure the quality of services provided.

Source:BNA