The Ministry of Agriculture is reiterating its commitment to ensuring a food safety system that spans from the farm to the consumer.
The Ministry confirmed Friday that it is aware of the slaughter of a pregnant heifer at the Mirabeau Abattoir in St Andrew, an incident that constituted a breach of the established protocol in the antemortem inspection of animals.
The Ministry assures the general public that the incident did not pose any threat to human health at any point. The slaughtered animal has since been buried.
As a next step, the Ministry plans to meet with abattoir employees to review policies and procedures which, among other things in the food safety guidelines, stipulate that all animals must be brought to the abattoir one day prior to slaughtering, to allow for the proper and thorough inspection of the animals.
The Ministry reminds the public to refrain from purchasing and consuming meat that has not been inspected and passed as “fit for human consumption” by the Ministry of Health, and to report any instance where meat is sold without certification.
Ministry of Agriculture… ensuring food and nutrition security for all.
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