Slaughterhouses of Abu Dhabi will provide tailor-made iceboxes for keeping meat.
Abu Dhabi/ Sharjah/Umm Al Quwain - The livestock market in Al Dhaid has picked up business ahead of the Eid and prices are affordable to all.
By Afkar Abdullah, Ahmed Shaaban and Ismail Sebugwaawo
Published: Tue 14 Aug 2018, 8:00 PM
Last updated: Thu 16 Aug 2018, 11:02 AM
Authorities across the country have urged people to slaughter sacrificial animals at accredited public abattoirs during the upcoming Eid Al Adha.
With a few days left for the Eid, the civic bodies in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain warned residents about the dangers of slaughtering animals in homes or makeshift places.
The Abu Dhabi Municipality on Tuesday said it has taken several measures at abattoirs, including adding more workers, to ensure veterinary inspection of all animals to be slaughtered for the Eid.
Officials from the civic body said that slaughterhouses of Abu Dhabi will provide tailor-made iceboxes for keeping meat to avoid it going bad due to heat exposure during the transit process. According to the municipality, people caught slaughtering sacrificial animals in homes, public parks or other places will be fined of up to Dh5,000.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) said on its social media accounts that sacrificial animals slaughtered in public abattoirs or slaughterhouses are safe for human consumption.
"The public abattoirs ensure safety and hygiene, veterinary examination before and after slaughter, as well as following the best practices during slaughter to prevent contamination of carcasses. They also provide qualified and approved butchers, who are technically qualified and licensed to carry out this practice in the abattoirs, in addition to the provision of proper disposal of remnants of slaughter (blood, skins and non-edible offal)."
An official from the ADFCA said: "Slaughtering of animals at homes or outside municipal slaughterhouses could result in diseases being transmitted to humans and environmental pollution. Testing animals before being slaughtered provides the chance to detect diseases and its pathogenesis."
An app to book for sacrificial animals
The working hours of slaughterhouses in Abu Dhabi will be from 6.30am to 7.30pm on the first day of Eid and from 6am to 7.30pm on the following Eid days. The automated slaughterhouse in the emirate will receive sacrificial animals of the Emirates Red Crescent, as well as the pre-registered sacrifices. Requests can be made through Zabihati app. The municipality said Zabihati app has been introduced for smartphones by Al Waha Livestock Company (the strategic partner) and it will receive customers' requests for sacrificial animals made in advance.
In Abu Dhabi slaughterhouse, the municipality expects to receive 2,500 sacrifices on the first day of Eid, while Al Shahama slaughterhouse expects 1,500 animals, and 3,000 animals are expected at Bani Yas slaughterhouse. The municipality expects that Al Wathba slaughterhouse will receive 1,000 sacrifices on the first day of the Eid.
Preparations complete, says Sharjah official
Ali Musabeh Al Taniji, director of Al Dhaid Municipality, on Tuesday said that the civic body has completed its preparations to ensure smooth functioning of abattoirs during the festive season.
"The abattoir located at the market's complex will open its doors immediately after the Eid prayer on day one and will provide its services from 6am to 11am during the second and third days of Eid. A veterinary team will assist the customers in the various stages of slaughter," according to Al Taniji.
He added that inspectors from the public health, safety, and inspection departments will conduct surprise visits to restaurants, public kitchens and shops as part of an intensified plan to ensure they are complying with the laws that ensure public health.
Al Tunaiji said that the livestock market in Al Dhaid has picked up business ahead of the Eid and prices are affordable to all.
The prices of sheep Najdi and Al Naimi ranged between Dh1,100 and Dh1,300 while local sheep between Dh900 and Dh1,100; and cows are available between Dh5,000 and Dh8,000.
New livestock market in UAQ
A new livestock market, opened recently in the emirate, is all set to meet the needs of consumers and traders during the Eid season, a top official at the Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) Municipality said on Tuesday.
All the abattoirs of the emirate are ready with veterinarians, technicians and workers, who will be available throughout the Eid days from 6am to 7pm. The newly-opened market located at Al Abraq area on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nayhan Road near the Union bridge will have a staff veterinarian to examine the livestock before and after slaughtering, according to Maitha Jassim Shafi, director of environment and public safety protection sector.
The official urged residents to slaughter sacrificial animals at the accredited abattoirs as it is the only way to ensure the livestock is fit for human consumption. "Accredited butchers are provided with special ID cards and uniforms."
She added: "We have run several awareness campaigns to keep an eye on all livestock barns to ensure their safety and none of them is infected with contagious diseases."
Meanwhile, shades and spaces are also available for traders to display the livestock near the fish market.
She added that inspections on food and sweet shops will be intensified ahead of the Eid.
Things to consider when choosing a sacrificial animal
According to Islamic teachings, sacrificial animal should be:
>Free from diseases and of perfect physical condition without any kind of disability or weakness
>Active with enough flesh and should be responsive to external situations
>It shouldn't be having any visible lameness and abnormal secretions
>It shouldn't be having any fluid discharge through the natural openings in the body
>It should breathe with easiness and head should be straight in line with the body structure
>The eyes of the animal should be bright and shouldn't be yellowish or reddish in colour
>When provided with fodder, the animal should be swallowing and eating normally and there should be no sign of indigestion
Animal prices in Sharjah
>Sheep (Najdi and Al Naimi) Dh1,100 to 1,300
>Local sheep Dh900 to Dh1,100
>Cow Dh5,000 to Dh8,000.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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