Tyres are harmful for meat processing— Niger govt

THE Niger State governor, Abubakar Bello has announced the ban on use of tyres and plastic materials to process meat for consumption, following health hazards emanating from such practices when the nine man committee on improvement of abattoirs in the state submitted its report at Government House, Minna recently.
The Governor, who calls for the introduction of other modern hygienic methods of processing meat for consumption, reiterated that the use of tyres and other materials to process meat must stop in Niger state due to health hazards from such practices.
Bello said that during his electioneering campaigns, he saw the deplorable condition of abattoirs across the state, hence the inauguration of the committee by government in July to recommend ways of improving them. He added that government would engage Private /Public Partnership arrangement to improve abattoirs in the state. The governor has also set up another committee involving government officials and stakeholders to implement the recommendations of the committee no the deplorable state abattoirs and the environmental intrigues. .
The Chairman of the Nine-man improvement committee, Dr Mohammed Kudu, who earlier recommended ban of illegal materials for processing meat urged the state government to license all slaughtering facilities in the state as provided in the law. The committee also recommended that all slaughtering slabs outside the main township abattoirs should be shutdown.
The committee further recommended long term measure of constructing 17 new abattoirs and short term measure of rehabilitating 11 abattoirs across the state and urged the government to train butchers and other stakeholders in the modern ways of slaughtering and handling meat before consumption.