Food Hygiene Bill: Association alerts on dangers of animal blood consumption

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja

ANIMAL Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN) has called on Kogi State Government to ban the consumption of animal blood as meat by the public due to its negative and dangerous health implications.

ASAN President Mr Raymond Isiadonso, made the call in his submission at the public hearing on an Executive Bill for a Law To Provide For The Establishment of Kogi State Meat Hygiene and Inspection and Other Matters Connected, held at the state House of Assembly on Friday.

The President who was represented by Dr Abdullahi Jimoh, ASAN North Central Coordinator, said that local people that consume blood as meat are doing so out of ignorance of its health and religious implications.

“This is because permitting the consumption of blood as meat through legislation is a disaster waiting to happen.

“Even the use of blood meal as feedstuff for livestock species is being discouraged in several countries including Nigeria,” he said.

Isiadonso also picked holes in the inclusion of administration of Anaesthesia on animals at the abattoirs before slaughtering, saying that Anaesthesia was not a method or an instrument of slaughtering and therefore should be discouraged.

He equally frowned at the preference being given to Veterinary Doctors above Animal Scientists in the abattoirs saying Veterinarians do not know the need for feed withdrawal before slaughtering to enhance meat quality?

“A Veterinarian will only be called if there is an outbreak of disease aside his presence”, he said.

The President lamented that the Bill placed premium on the by-products of the abattoir, which include hide and skin, hooves, bone marrows, bones, hair/feathers, fetuses, etc. from the slaughtered animals.

“The Animal Scientists know that these by-products constitute about 32 per cent of the Animal and so have economic value as they can be converted into products which are usable and thus generates additional money for the owner of the Animal.

“A critical look at all these areas indicates that it is clear that the administration and management of abattoir rest squarely on the shoulders of an Animal Scientist, including Registration of premises relating to meat packaging and distribution”, he added.

According to him, a standard abattoir should have provision for Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all activities as well as compliance with Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) so as to guarantee food safety.

He said it was essential to add that there is an existing Federal Government gazette Volume 109 number 144 of 2022 titled “Animal Handling and Meat Processing and Distribution in Abattoir Regulation 2022″.

“This Federal Government Regulation is explicit about professionals and operations in the meat handling value chain. For instance, Section 11 of the gazette deals with lairage which the proposed Bill intends to repeat on Section 46 of page 16.

“Sections 14 to 18 of the gazette deal with carcass splitting, washing, splaying, evisceration, hanging and distribution and most of these steps are lacking in the proposed Bill. This gazette is attached as appendix for reference purpose,” he said.

“Consequently upon the aforementioned, the Animal Science Association of Nigeria is praying that this Bill be rejected to be redrafted so as to meet the realities of modern day abattoir,” he prayed.

Responding, Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Mr Usman Adejoh, several organisations, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) made several observations to fine tune the bill for passage.

The committee chairman, said that all issues raised and recommendations made to the committee would be carefully studied and the needful would be done in the interest of residents of Kogi as it relate to meat hygiene. (Ends)