Strengthening food safety and hygiene management at livestock and poultry slaughterhouses

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has just issued a Directive on strengthening food safety and hygiene management for livestock and poultry slaughterhouses and means of transporting animal products.

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The Directive clearly states that, in recent times, under the strong direction of the Government, food safety management has had positive changes such as good implementation of planning, upgrading of slaughterhouses, strengthening of transport quarantine, and slaughter control. However, food safety management at livestock and poultry slaughterhouses, especially at small-scale slaughterhouses, is not good; the phenomenon of transporting livestock and poultry meat by means and containers that do not ensure food safety still occurs in many localities.

To strengthen the management of slaughtering and transporting animals and animal products to ensure food safety and hygiene, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development requested the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to implement the planning of livestock and poultry slaughterhouses in their localities, review and adjust unreasonable slaughterhouse planning; issue specific support policies for the construction of new or renovation and upgrading of slaughterhouses included in the planning.

Along with that, the District People's Committee is assigned to determine a roadmap to gradually suspend the operations of livestock and poultry slaughterhouses that do not meet food safety and hygiene requirements as prescribed; direct the Commune People's Committee to strictly manage compliance with veterinary hygiene, food safety and environmental hygiene at small-scale livestock and poultry slaughterhouses, and thoroughly handle violating establishments.

At the same time, direct the police and market management forces to closely coordinate with specialized veterinary agencies to inspect and handle according to regulations organizations and individuals who violate regulations on slaughtering animals that do not ensure food safety and hygiene, violations of veterinary hygiene requirements for means of transporting fresh and processed animal products for use as food; inspect and correct violations related to ensuring food safety and hygiene in the retail stage of fresh animal products at markets in urban and rural areas.

In addition, organize propaganda so that businesses and consumers have the habit of using livestock and poultry meat supplied from slaughterhouses controlled by specialized veterinary agencies.

Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development need to strengthen slaughter control, strictly implement slaughter control procedures at local slaughterhouses, and periodically inspect animal slaughterhouses in the area.

According toGovernment.vn