Slaughterhouses standards queried<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik ,The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite claims by the administration that all licensed poultry
\nslaughterhouses in Jakarta follow the procedures that have been
\nstipulated by the authorities to curb the spread of bird flu,
\nmost slaughter houses have still a long way to go.<\/p>\n
At three slaughter houses in Ciputat, Tangerang, and one in
\nPasar Minggu, South Jakarta, the procedures used to slaughter
\nchickens were found not to be in compliance with the standards
\nset by the Ministry of Agriculture.<\/p>\n
In a big slaughterhouse in Ciputat, which can kill 3,000
\nchickens per day, workers were seen unloading chickens from
\ntrucks without gloves and masks. They were not sprayed with
\ndisinfectant or provided with any form of protective gear.<\/p>\n
The butchers who kill the chickens are only provided with
\nspecial knives and boiling water. After the birds have been
\nkilled, they are sold directly to awaiting buyers.<\/p>\n
"We are hoping that preventive measures will already have been
\ntaken on the poultry farms. All the workers and the trucks
\ncarrying the chickens are sprayed with disinfectant before
\nentering or leaving the farms. When they arrive here, we consider
\nthe chickens to be healthy," said Bedrus, an employee of the
\nslaughterhouse.<\/p>\n
He said he believed that they were following the stipulated
\nprocedures and that the slaughterhouse had not changed its
\npractices for over 10 years.<\/p>\n
"So far, there have been no complaints from the Jakarta
\nHusbandry Agency," he said.<\/p>\n
In two smaller slaughter houses in Ciputat and another in
\nPasar Minggu, neither workers nor buyers were seen wearing
\nprotective gear, whether before, during or after the slaughtering
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
The husbandry agency's head of meat products and health unit,
\nHery Indyanto, said there were standard protective procedures
\nthat should be applied during the three processes.<\/p>\n
"Wearing gloves, spraying disinfectant and checking the
\nchickens before and after slaughtering are the minimum protective
\nmeasures that need to be applied in all slaughterhouses. The
\nworkers must hang up the slaughtered chickens immediately, and
\nmust not pile them up. They must also keep good meat separate
\nfrom offal," he said.<\/p>\n
He admitted, however, that only the city's 50 legal
\nslaughterhouses followed the procedures. The other 1,000
\nslaughterhouses in the city did not apply the procedures at all.<\/p>\n
"Most of the slaughterhouses ignore the procedures simply
\nbecause they are not used to them or they don't want the
\nadditional expense," he said.<\/p>\n
Hery admitted that the agency had yet to take any action
\nagainst the slaughterhouses "as we are afraid it would cause even
\ngreater public disquiet. The impact of the stern action could be
\nvery far-reaching."<\/p>\n
So far, the agency has only advised people to cook chicken
\nmeat and eggs properly at temperatures of above 80 Celsius for
\nthe meat and above 60 Celsius for eggs to avoid being infected by
\nthe virus.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization has confirmed that five people
\nhave died in Southeast Asia because of the virus while in
\nIndonesia a three-and-a-half-year-old boy in Bali is suspected to
\nbe suffering from the virus.<\/p>\n
So far, the Ministry of Agriculture says it has no plans to
\ncull poultry suspected of being infected with the virus due to
\ninadequate funds and fears that the move would be ineffective.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/slaughterhouses-standards-queried-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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