While over 90% meat in Pune is unhealthy and produced illegally, even PMC has only one vet to check nearly thousands of animals that go to slaughter daily
If you’re the kind that appreciates a juicy steak or a meat curry frequently, here’s a statistic to shock you off your table — over 90 per cent of meat consumed by Pune is unauthorised and undergoes no scrutiny, leaving just 10 per cent to be produced in legally-run slaughterhouses.
Shockingly, however, with only one veterinary doctor filling in for six official positions at the civic body-run abattoirs, even the latter 10 per cent undergoes scant scrutiny, leading experts to believe that several related diseases have been on the rise.
Of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) three official slaughterhouses in Kondhwa, Kasba and Nana Peth, only a single veterinary doctor has been overlooking operations for more than two decades. Dr Prakash Wagh told Mirror, “Every day, at each slaughterhouse, at least 300 animals are butchered, of which 100 are cattle.
There are six approved posts for vets, but I am the only one looking after all the animals, which is very hectic.“
As per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, a veterinary doctor should conduct 90-odd ante-mortems -Wagh looks at hundreds a day. He added, “Daily, at least 5-10 animals are kept aside after postmortems for burial. This is only after a gross examination, not even a thorough, detailed check-up, as completing a set daily target leaves me with very less time.“ While this has been going on for 22 years, Dr Wagh's pleas for assistants have gone in vain. He said, “I observe as many animals as I can. It becomes impossible to scrutinise each one, so I cannot be blamed if substandard meat is reaching homes. I am aware that we are sending out unhealthy meat into the market. PMC knows I am short-staffed, but it has failed to provide more doctors.“
Moreover, he said, illegal slaughterhouses where animals are butchered sans a vet's approval have become rather common these days, adding, “This is a serious threat to public health -I have been fighting for more doctors to carry out ante-mortems.“ Animal welfare officer of the Animal Welfare Board of India, Manoj Oswal, affirmed, “Almost 90 per cent of meat is produced by small-time roadside shops, which often keep meat in open, easily accessible to pathogens and chemicals. Unhealthy meat consumption can lead to prostate and colon cancer; antibiotic resistance cases also increase when non-vetted meat and meat products are consumed.“
Dr A E Pavra, general manager of the Deonar Abattoir, the largest slaughterhouse in Asia, offered a counterpoint, saying, “We have 28 vets to conduct ante-mortems and post-mortems of all slaughtered animals. We also issue a fit for consumption certificate for every animal.“
PMC health chief Dr ST Pardeshi only said, “It is the FDA's responsibility to approve shops. However, after the 2006 FSSAI Act, FDA should urge people already in the meat business to register and re-register as well. It is known that people slaughter animals without vet approvals -to nab them, we will soon start a drive with FDA, but only after adding more doctors to our team. There has been a request to add six more vets, which will be placed for further approval at our meetings.“
State FDA chief Purushottam Bhapkar said, “We have started a drive to curb illegal meat production statewide and educate people about health hazards. Often, people end up buying from local vendors, who keep meat in unhygienic places, possibly leading to many illnesses. Besides issuing and approving licenses, we will also help meat shop owners study and educate themselves about illegal slaughtering and the hazards that consumption of such non-vetted products can cause.“
DCB HAS MEAT ISSUES TOO
Not just Pune, but the Dehu Road Cantonment Board (DCB) also seems to be serving low quality and substandard meat and meat products. A sanitary official from DCB told Mirror on condition of anonymity, “We hardly cut three goats and sheep a day; more than 90 per cent meat production is done illegally and unchecked. Moreover, officially-produced meat is hardly bought, as the slaughterhouse is near a graveyard, and people are suspicious and superstitious about it. Plus, we lack veterinary doctors and a proper transportation mechanism.“ DCB chief executive officer Abhishek Tripathi said, “We have two slaughterhouses in DCB -both are lying defunct, as we lack facilities like manpower, machines and effluent treatment plants. All we need is an okay from the army command to set protocol for these, but that has not been coming. I have been trying to start both slaughterhouses here soon, as during the coming festive season, illegal meat production rises to a great extent.“
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