Govt nod must for meat shops and slaughterhouses, says FSSAI

Slaughterhouses and meat shops have been asked to get mandatory licences from the Centre and not civic bodies alone.

Meat shops and slaughterhouses would be required to have mandatory licences from the Centre and not the civic bodies alone. In a notice to all food safety commissioners and secretaries of urban local bodies across the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under the Union Health Ministry, has asked them to direct all slaughterhouses and meat shops under their jurisdiction to seek mandatory licence for running the operations.

Asking the food commissioners and secretaries of urban local bodies to ensure compliance with the legal provisions as well as animal welfare measures, the apex body has asked them to prepare a clear action plan and submit the status at a meeting of the Central Advisory Committee to be held on December 29. "It may kindly be ensured that no abattoir or slaughter house operates without a valid licence or registration," the direction states.

Under the Food Safety (License and Registration of Food Business) Regulations 2011, all slaughter houses are required to be licensed and registered (with the FSSAI). The Supreme Court in 2012 had also directed all states and Union Territories to constitute state committees for slaughter houses within a specified time and sought compliance by them. While recommending provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act for proper transportation of animals, FSSAI has also directed the food safety commissioners to urban local commissioners to ensure that livestock is not illtreated during transportation and has asked them to take stringent action against the violators under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Taking note of inadequate infrastructure in most of the existing slaughter houses, FSSAI has asked the meat plants and slaughter houses to upgrade their infrastructure, while asking for proper training of butchers and implementation of proper practices.

Observing that the roadside slaughter units where live birds were kept and slaughtered lack basic infrastructure for stunning and handling, FSSAI has directed all food safety commissioners and secretaries of urban local bodies to close them down if they fail to meet hygiene in a defined time frame. Animal rights activists have welcomed the decision.

FSSAI has also asked the food commissioners and urban local commissioners to take necessary steps to prohibit slaughter of animals other than those allowed by the food safety regulations.

The food safety law prohibits meat shops from slaughtering animals, even chicken or fish. Besides, no animal, other than sheep, goat, bovines, pigs, poultry and fish are allowed to be slaughtered for food under the law.