Pokhara folks eating untested meat

POKHARA, June 15: Food quality inspectors in Pokhara have not been able to conduct due quality tests of meat being supplied in the market because of the absence of necessary infrastructures. This has compelled consumers in the lake city to eat whatever they are supplied with.



Though Pokhara is one of the major tourist hubs in the country, it does not have an organized slaughterhouse. [break]



“We´ve not been able to assure the quality of meat being sold in the market because of the absence of necessary infrastructures,” said Shivaji Baral, food quality inspector of Kaski.



Though the government had endorsed the Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act in 1999, making it mandatory for meat sellers to test quality of the meat before selling, it has failed to formulate necessary regulations to implement it.



Going by the Act, meat traders are allowed to sell meat only after conducting quality test. The Act even makes it mandatory for the meat sellers to first check the health of chicken, goats and other animals, prior to their slaughter. But no one is following these provisions.



“The absence of organized slaughterhouse is preventing us from enforcing these provisions," said Baral, adding that market inspectors would have been able to certify the health of livestock and quality of meat sold if the city had a proper slaughterhouse.



Meat traders also said they have been unable to sell quality meat to consumers because of the absence of organized slaughterhouse. “Quality of meat depends solely on the sincerity of the trader. There is no practice of conducting health check up of livestock," said Prem Prasad Paudel of Kaski Mutton and Chicken Suppliers´ Association.

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