Risk of infection from poultry slaughtering services at the market

(Baonghean.vn) - Many housewives often buy and slaughter poultry right at the market, but in reality, many slaughterhouses do not ensure safety, and pose many potential risks of unsanitary conditions and disease.

Ms. Binh, a poultry trader at Quang Trung Market in Vinh City, said that she sells and slaughters 70-100 chickens and ducks every day. During holidays, the number can double or triple. Hundreds of chickens and ducks are slaughtered and dipped in a pot of water that has been boiled from morning to evening until it is thick and black. After the feathers are plucked, the chickens and ducks are dipped again in dirty water to stretch the skin for a beautiful look.

Chickens are slaughtered right on the dirty cement floor.

“After cleaning the feathers of a chicken, dip it in boiling water to make the skin plump and look more delicious.” A business owner slaughtering a chicken at Quang Trung market said.

Quang Trung Market has about 20 households that do business and slaughter poultry like Ms. Binh. Chickens and ducks are kept in large cages, and after customers choose the ones they like, the seller will slaughter them. Ms. Hoa, a housewife in Le Mao Ward, said: "I see that the chickens slaughtered at the market are not clean but convenient, so I often buy chickens and ask them to slaughter them."

The chicken was dipped in a pot of black water.

The main source of washing water is pumped from wells right at each business’s stall, so it is very dirty. The pumped water is often cloudy yellow. Meanwhile, chicken, duck meat and internal organs are mixed on a thin cement floor close to the ground; dirty water and poultry and waterfowl waste are everywhere, the stench is always strong. Poultry slaughtered at the market is clearly not safe for food hygiene, not to mention disease control.

In many markets in Vinh City such as: Quan Lau, Doi Cung, Vinh Ga market, Cua Bac market, ... the situation of selling and slaughtering live poultry without ensuring food safety is similar.

Without even testing, it can be seen with the naked eye that the slaughtering of poultry at the markets is very unhygienic. Photo taken at Hung Thong market, Hung Nguyen

Vinh City has 13 markets, each market has 10-20 households trading and slaughtering poultry. Every day, more than 20 tons of chickens and ducks are slaughtered at the markets. The situation of poultry slaughtering does not only occur at markets in Vinh City, but currently some markets in rural areas such as Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc ... chickens and ducks are also being traded and slaughtered right at the market, which is unhygienic and poses many risks of spreading and spreading diseases, affecting the economy of households raising livestock near the market area.

Thanh Tam