As part of the ministry's strategy to achieve food security and in the framework of the annual preparations for the sacrifice season which starts before and during Eid Al-Adha, the Ministry of Environment and Water
As part of the ministry's strategy to achieve food security and in the framework of the annual preparations for the sacrifice season which starts before and during Eid Al-Adha, the Ministry of Environment and Water has set conditions and health rules to be followed for slaughtering, from how to choose cattle for slaughter, the terms of health and safety of preserving the meat, and the terms that must be followed in post-slaughter, where the ministry has carried out a series of measures to facilitate the entry of imported animals, taking into account health and veterinary conditions.
This was stated by H.E.Saif al-Shara, Assistant Undersecretary for Agricultural and Livestock Affairs. He also said that the local market witnessed an increase in the proportion of livestock imports in the past few days, to meet the needs of the public, as flowing consignments of various live animals through the country ports are taking place. The coming days as well will witness the arrival of more consignments that will cover the needs of the local market through the main points of entry, the Ghuwaifat, Jebel Ali and Hamriyah Ports.
He also explained that the ministry is working with its staff in quarantine centers to complete and accelerate procedures for the reception of animals for sacrifice in cooperation and coordination with the local authorities, stressing the readiness of all the efforts of the concerned ministry staff for this purpose. H.E. Saif al-Shara said that there is a special mechanism for working shifts throughout holidays to expedite the release of the consignments in addition to the workload in the laboratories of the Ministry to cover the completion of laboratory tests on time.
As the ministry has carried out a series of measures to provide sufficient number of cattle for the local market by facilitating the entry of imported animals, taking into account health and veterinary conditions in preparation for the near the Eid al-Adha sacrificial season.
Engineer H.E. Saif al-Shara, Assistant Undersecretary for Agricultural and Livestock Affairs, noted that the ministry is seeking -through these measures- to provide healthy animals that are free from epidemics and infectious diseases through applying the required sanitary and quarantine procedures in importing live animals, which has been circulated to all relevant local authorities.
These efforts come to achieve the framework of strategic objectives in enhancing food security and raise the rates of bio-security in the country through the development of rules and regulations that facilitates meeting the market needs of livestock and their products according to the specifications required.
His Excellency also stressed the need for the consumer to slaughter in approved abattoirs and slaughterhouses in the UAE, where these slaughterhouses are under veterinary control and to ensure the screening of the animal before and after slaughter to ensure the safety of meat for human consumption, noting that the slaughter in slaughterhouses maintain a clean environment and provide the conditions of slaughter and health safety of the meat, according to Islamic law and under supervision of specialized veterinarians, and all of the required health conditions in terms of location, ventilation, lighting, temperature, other conditions, and basic health rules.
H.E. Al-Shara has clarified that the cattle that shall be slaughtered for sacrifice must be healthy and free from any disease, based on a report from a competent veterinarian, and are transported to the slaughterhouse under the conditions of health enforced in the country so as the cattle will not be exposed to any injuries or wounds during the transfer process, which could adversely affect the quality of meat. The animals must be given a rest period before slaughter of not less than 12 hours, and shall be cleaned before entering the slaughter rooms to avoid contamination of meat as well as during the process of skinning and processing.
The Ministry of Environment and Water stresses on the need to avoid slaughtering outside slaughterhouses as it is contrary to the regulations, because it might constitute a risk to consumer health as a result for not examining the sacrifice by a veterinarian and/or not slaughtered in the right place. Slaughterhouses are restricted by controls and health rules to maintain the safety of the products and meat and are complying with the conditions of health for the slaughtering process and processing and thus maintain the health and safety of consumers. In addition to the need to strict dealers of livestock and animal breeding importers with the conditions required for the import of live animals and taking into account quarantine requirements in the country of origin, adhering to the requirements of health control and conduct lab tests for live animals to be exported to the country to avoid any delay and to ease the flow of these consignments.