Capitol Buys Slaughterhouse Equipment

Health and sanitation is one of the 6-key development agenda of Governor Hilario P. Davide III.

With this, the provincial government, through the Provincial Veterinarian’s Office (PVO), is investing on slaughterhouse equipment worth around P6 million.

PVO Chief Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said the Capitol is looking to improve the local meat inspection services in compliance with the food safety law.

“Every year, we really take an initiative to improve our slaughterhouses,” she said.

The equipment being purchased are viscera inspection tables, electric hog stunners, viscera trucks, and two (2) digital weighing scales. These will be given to the different slaughterhouses in the municipalities and component cities.

She said the bidding for the equipment already started and these could be delivered in March or April.

Dr. Vincoy also stated that there are also three or four local government units that will receive aluminum meat vans within the year. These will be given to LGUs whose slaughterhouses are far from the market and these slaughterhouses are among the busiest in terms of the number of livestock slaughtered daily.

“This is just the start, we will also distribute meat vans next year,” she said.

The Capitol has also been spending money for the training of local meat inspectors in the province since 2014. For every trainee, the Capitol spent at least P25, 000 for a 20-day basic inspection-training course.

Dr. Vincoy said it is not really the primary responsibility of the province to sponsor the training. However, the National Meat Inspection Service lacked budget. Hence, the province stepped in.

After the basic meat inspection training, the meat inspectors also underwent trainings on good hygienic slaughtering practices to comply with the international standard.

This year, she said the Capitol will also conduct a good animal husbandry practices training for the livestock farmers in line with the Asean Economic Integration.

By Xerxes Alkuino

www.cebu.gov.ph