Stakeholders urge better hygiene in abbattoirs to prevent diseases

A veterinary doctor, Jide Akinleye, wants operators of abattoirs to maintain a high standard of hygiene to avoid the spread of food-borne diseases.

Akinleye who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, said that if these facilities were kept clean, diseases would be minimized.

He advised butchers in the state to always ensure that they purchased healthy cows for slaughtering, adding that there were diseases that could be contracted from infected animals.

He decried the low number of veterinary doctors in the country, saying that winning the war against animal-to-man diseases largely depended on the number of professionals.

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He called on state governments to employ more veterinary doctors in all the local government areas in their states for this purpose.

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Environment, Mrs. Tosin Ajisafe-Aluko, said that the state government would not compromise standards on anything that could negatively affect the health of residents.

Ajisafe-Aluko said that the government would not hesitate to close down any erring abattoir to serve as deterrent to others.

She said that the state government built a central abattoir on the Ekiti State University road in Ado-Ekiti as a model of what the government expected of all abattoirs in the state.

This, she said, was in a bid to ensure that animals slaughtered in the state were good for human consumption,

She said that the government had constructed a lairage at the abattoir on Iworoko-Ado road where premortem inspections are conducted on animals meant for slaughter.

Stakeholders in the state applauded the government for its unrelenting efforts at making meat consumption safe for residents.

The respondents included housewives, veterinary doctors, environmental officers, among others.

They affirmed that it was now practically difficult to find any abattoir in the state operating without government approval or regulations.

Dr. Femi Ogunbamiwo, an environmental health consultant in Osun, said that the unhygienic environment of abattoirs in the state was responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as lung cancer.

Ogunbamiwo, a former General- Manager of the Osun Waste Management Agency said that the entire process of production, processing, and distribution of meat in abattoirs in the state did not meet best practices.

He said that meat processing in such unhygienic abattoirs could result in food poisoning, gastrointestinal diseases with an increased risk of antibiotic-resistant infections in the body system.

He said that the irregular inspection of abattoirs in the state by the environmental officers was responsible for the unhygienic environment where animals were been slaughtered.

“There is a need for the government to scale up its inspection mechanism in abattoirs for the safety of the consumers,” he said.

However, Dr Kehinde Isiaka, a veterinary doctor in the Ministry of Environment, said that environmental officers did visit abattoirs in the state to ensure a hygienic environment for beef processing.

Isiaka said that many butchers in the abattoirs failed to comply with government instructions in line with global standards.

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According to him, owners of private abattoirs in the state adhere more to the government’s environmental instructions than those operating public abattoirs.

He said that the government would continue to ensure thorough supervision of abattoirs in the state, in line with global standards.

Also speaking to NAN, Mr. Femi Eniola, the Supervisor, of Akure Abattoir in Ondo State, said that abattoirs in the area complied strictly with health rules and regulations that applied to handling and slaughtering of cows.

Eniola explained that cows for slaughtering in the abattoirs were first quarantined and inspected by veterinary doctors to ensure their health status.

“Any cow discovered to be infected with disease is not allowed to be slaughtered for consumption,” he said.

The supervisor said that the abattoir, constructed during the tenure of former Gov. Olusegun Mimiko, was semi-mechanised, and a minimum of 100 cows could be slaughtered and processed
there daily.

He said that there were also vehicles to convey the meat slaughtered to different markets in Akure as well as ones to evacuate solid waste, while a good drainage system was also in place to discharge liquid waste.

According to him, the government is mulling the idea to convert solid waste from the abattoir into bio gas for energy production.

The supervisor commended the efforts of the state government in keeping the abattoir clean and functional, and called for the rehabilitation of the place and better funding to maintain the standard.

A resident sighted at the abattoir, Mrs Grace David, expressed satisfaction with the clean and hygienic environment of the facility.

David, however, identified shortage of vehicles to convey the meat to
designated markets for sale as a major challenge.

She urged the state government to keep environmental health officials alive to their duties to ensure that butchers and meat sellers complied strictly with the hygienic processes in the handling of meat.

Mr. Kamaldeen Yusuf, a butcher at the testing ground area in Osogbo, said that members of the butchers association do manage its slaughterhouses, taking into consideration the health of consumers.

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“Environmental health officers come regularly to lecture us on the need to be neat and keep our environment clean.

“We usually put the well-being of our customers into consideration during meat processing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Miss Deborah Bulus, an Environmental Health Officer from Jos, Plateau, decried the poor sanitary condition and basic facilities at Jos slaughterhouse, popularly known as abattoir.

Bulus told NAN in Jos that lack of a regular source of water supply to the abattoir had remained a major challenge that contributed immensely to unhygienic practices in the slaughterhouse.

She also decried the dearth of facilities at the slaughterhouse and called on the government and relevant authorities to address the challenges.

”The abattoir in Jos is unhygienic; the facilities there are dilapidated.

”There is no source of water supply, which is the major need in every abattoir.

”Burning of animal skin using tyre is not healthy, but that is the practice in our slaughterhouse in Jos.

”But the government can improve on the facilities and make it more hygienic for the people,” she said.

Recently, the Governor of Plateau, Caleb Mutfwang, called for collaboration and support from experts in the meat industry toward boosting meat business in the state.

Mutfwang made the call shortly after inspecting the Abis Farms Ltd, an abattoir facility situated in the Idu Industrial Layout of the Federal Capital Territory.

He declared his intention to replicate the structure and business module of Abis farms Ltd, to boost the meat packing industry in the state.

Mutfwang, who reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving every sector of the economy, particularly the agriculture sector, said that the meat industry in the state would take a definite shape before the end of 2024.

“Having seen a physical demonstration of what a standard meat packaging industry should look like, revamping our abattoirs in Jos and other locations is a possibility.

”What has been achieved here inspires us to pursue our dreams in seeing to the realisation of such a feat in Plateau.

”As you know, we have already started discussing with investors to be able to rebuild the abattoir in Jos.

”By the grace of God, before the end of this year, we’ll make a definite statement,” he said.

Also, a cross-section of Jalingo residents commended the Taraba Government for constructing a new abattoir with state-of-the-art facilities.

Some of them, who spoke with the NAN, said that the old abattoir had fallen below modern standards and was very unhygienic.

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Alhaji Bauro Yaro, a butcher, told NAN that the new abattoir had enhanced the sanitary condition of the meat, and also restored the dignity of their business.

“I am sure you know the old abattoir. It was a very terrible experience operating there for many years,” Yaro said.

Dr. Edward Kaashighie, an Environmentalist, also lauded the government, saying it was one of its projects that had touched the lives of many residents positively.

Kaashighie called on the butchers to prioritize hygiene at the abattoir, to ensure healthy meat production to prevent frequent disease outbreaks.

He also called on the government to ensure that there was uninterrupted water and power supplies, and the replication of the facility at the local councils.

Mrs. Grace Matsonde, a customer, equally hailed the government’s initiative.

Matsonde said that the new abattoir had given her confidence in the quality and safety of meat coming from there.

On his part, Dr. Opisco Obadiah, a veterinary doctor, acknowledged the government’s efforts at enhancing the hygienic condition of abattoirs in the state.

Obadiah called on the butchers and other stakeholders to ensure the maintenance of the facilities to encourage the government to do more for them.

Meanwhile, Some stakeholders in the South-South region have urged their governments to implement health policies concerning the abattoirs in the country.

The stakeholders,ranging from medical experts to consumers in Port Harcourt, Calabar and Akwa Ibom bemoaned the unhygienic conditions and poor handling of meat in many abattoirs.

They listed the diseases associated with unhygienic abattoirs to include typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera, dysentery and ecoli.

They, however, urged the governments to build modern abattoirs with proper waste management and ensure that health inspectors and veterinary experts were available to implement policies.

In Rivers, a visit to the slaughter markets at Trans-Woji and Mgbuosimini communities revealed a filthy environment with a swarm of flies.

The meat was being transported in dirty wheelbarrows and vans from the Trans-Woji slaughterhouse to various sheds in the muddy market.

There were no environmental health officers to inspect the animals’ health status before slaughtering them for human consumption.

Dr. Okechukukwu Ochoma, a veterinary doctor at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), emphasised the importance of conducting antemortem inspections to certify animals fit for human consumption.

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Ochoma described the current state of abattoirs in the country as unacceptable, and questioned why the facilities were not maintained, particularly when funding for them was allocated in the budget.

“The government should immediately put a stop to these unwholesome practices in our abattoirs, where the managers neglect public safety,” he said.

Dr Cordelia Offor, an environmental health practitioner at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), highlighted the risks associated with consuming infected beef and other meats.

She said that, in addition to the unhygienic conditions prevalent in many abattoirs, over 55 per cent of all pathogens come from animals.

“It is essential to follow the required procedures to ensure that people do not contract infections or suffer poisoning from the meat they consume.

“Such infections could lead to conditions such as typhoid and tuberculosis, caused by bacteria like Salmonella Typhi, which can easily thrive in unhygienic environments,” Offor said.

Another veterinary doctor, Toby Elijah, said that maintaining cleanliness in abattoirs would significantly reduce the incidence of foodborne diseases.

Elijah advised butchers to always purchase healthy cattle for slaughter

One of the butchers at the Trans-Woji Slaughter market, Dauda Mohammad, decried the state of the abattoir and urged the state government to construct a modern facility.

He said that butchers contributed significantly to the state’s economy through levies paid by meat sellers in the market.

“No fewer than 60 cows are slaughtered in this market daily, and the state and local governments receive considerable revenue from the levy imposed on each slaughtered cow,” he said.

Some of the meat buyers at the Mgbuosimini slaughter also expressed dissatisfaction with the poor sanitary conditions, attributing the situation to weak enforcement by the government.

Mrs Grace Okujagu, a housewife, said that although the meat in the abattoir might not be certified, she would still buy it since buying from supermarkets might be very expensive

In Calabar, Mr Effanga Ita, Director of Food Safety, Inspection Service, and Environmental Health in Cross River’s Ministry of Health, said that the dearth of veterinary doctors was a major challenge for meat inspection in the state.

The director said that a veterinary doctor needed to be around when any animal was slaughtered at the abattoir.

“But with many staff retirements in the Agriculture ministry, it could not be achieved.

‘’From our part, in the ministry of health, it is expected that anybody that has something to do with meat in abattoirs must undergo food handlers test to be certified.

“Even after you are certified fit to handle meat at the abattoir, we still expect you to maintain high personal hygiene.

“You must always be in rain boots, and there must be a constant use of running water.

“We do this because an unhygienic abattoir or a poor handling of meat can cause diseases like cholera, dysentery or ecoli, and these diseases can spread easily,” he said.

Speaking further, Ita recounted his visit to the abattoir in Ugep in the Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA), which supplied meat to three other LGAs,

He said that the abattoir was very dirty, with a stench of human faeces, urine and dung everywhere.

According to him, he decided to close down the place with the threat of court action, but in a swift reaction, the traders in the abattoir cleaned up the whole place in one week.

NAN also visited an abattoir in the Atimbo area of Calabar and noticed that although the place was fairly managed, the stench from the abattoir was strong.

One of the residents of the area, Mr Jackson Ineh, said that the abattoir, located in a residential area, was a health risk as the stench had been disturbing the whole neighbourhood.

He said that the government officials inspected the place, although not frequently, and doubted if they conduct proper inspection.

Similarly, an Uyo, Akwa Ibom-based Public Health Analyst, Franklin Ekpo, decried the lack of standard waste management systems, which, he said, had exposed residents to harmful pathogens and gases.

“Something has to be done to curb the menace of unhygienic abattoir waste disposal in the state,” he said.

Also speaking, Ofonime Ekong, a Veterinary Expert, said that many abattoirs in the state lacked the necessary facilities to promote workers’ health and safety.

He expressed the need to upgrade abattoirs in the state to meet up with basic sanitary facilities as well as provide a reliable platform for regular training of butchers and other abattoir workers.

“This can be handled by even the association. This training will teach them about hygiene and use of safety equipment,” he said.

Mr James Edidiong, an Environmental Health Expert, urged the government to take steps towards promoting disease surveillance for effective control and eradication.

He said that clinical and post-mortem diagnoses were being widely adopted for disease surveillance, control and eradication, and called for the use of modern surveillance methods.

Dr Teddy Essien, the Director of Veterinary Services, Akwa Ibom Ministry of Agriculture, said that the state government had concluded plans to build abattoirs across the 31 Local Government Areas.

He said that the government also planned to license all butchers to control the spread of disease, adding that only the central abattoir at Itam in the Uyo metropolis had benefited from the standard.

The director said that to ensure disease control, the government had employed inspectors across LGAs to ensure that all animals were inspected before and after slaughtering.

A visit by NAN to the central abattoir in Itam showed that the abattoir was of good standard as there eas water and enough space to operate.

In another development, Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi stakeholders called for the upgrading of abattoirs in the states.

A cross-section of stakeholders in the livestock industry in Nasarawa State wants the government to improve the facilities in abattoirs across the state.

The stakeholders, including livestock breeders, butchers, animal health professionals and customers, made the call in an interview with NAN in Lafia.

They emphasized the need for modernized facilities to ensure the production of safe and healthy meat for consumers.

Mr. Ezekiel Baba, Lecturer with Nasarawa State College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, said that meat was an important part of the meal of every family, hence the need for animals to be slaughtered in hygienic environments.

He said that the government should build modern abattoirs in all the 13 LGAs of the state to ensure healthy meat for members of the public.

“They should also provide modern slaughterhouse equipment, improved waste management systems, enhanced biosecurity measures, carry out regular veterinary inspections and ensure regular training for abattoir staff,” he said.

The lecturer further explained that building modern abattoirs with the necessary equipment would reduce the risk of disease transmission and contamination of meat products.

“It will also curtail the Inhumane treatment of animals, tackle environmental pollution and help toward reducing the negative impact on trade and economy,” he said.

Similarly, Mrs Helen Ajegena, a customer, said that the government should make the abattoirs in the state replicates of what was obtainable in the developed nations.

She said that the abattoirs should be based on international standards to protect public health and promote the livestock industry.

The customer also lamented that some of the deadly diseases in recent times were transmitted from animals to man, hence the need for all stakeholders to treat this with the seriousness it deserved.

Also, Ahmed Isa, a butcher in Lafia said that they were losing millions due to poor infrastructure.

“Upgrading abattoirs will boost our economy and create more jobs for the youths,” he said.

On his part, Samuel Jackson, a breeder, said that there was a need to upgrade the abattoirs.

He also commended the Federal Government for the establishment of the Ministry for Livestock, and urged state governors to replicate the same in their states.

He also appealed to the government to support livestock farmers to enable them to boost their businesses and support the growth of the country’s economy.

In Kogi, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Timothy Ojomah, said that the state government had a healthy mode of preserving meat.

According to him, the state government ensures that anything that has to do with hygiene in the state, especially whatever the residents consume, receives optimum facilities.

Ojomah said that the state Abattoir at Felele had its facility upgrading project recently awarded for completion.

“This is because it is just 95 per cent complete. The completion of the project is to see that we have installed all the modern facilities needed for slaughtering and hygienic preservation of meat at the abattoir.

“The project is to ensure that the abattoir’s operations and waste management, as well as meat handling and hygienic environment, are in tandem with the international standards and practices.

“As a state government, we are aware of the health implications of an unhygienic environment, poor meat handling and substandard products.

“We have taken steps to avoid such in order not to jeopardise the health and safety of our citizens.

“In our Abattoir at Felele, we have a van provided by the federal government, ably supported and sponsored by the last state government.

“Every meat being slaughtered at the abattoir is being handled carefully and preserved in the van before onward delivery to the end users or consumers,” he said. .

He said that veterinary doctors were always on ground at every spot; the place of keeping the animals, testing and slaughtering, as well as the place of delivery to end users, to ensure that all was safe.

“There are so many other things that the government is doing in the preservation of the meat being consumed in the state, one of such is the keeping of healthy animals.

“This is because animals are one of the basic things that can transfer sickness to humans. Therefore, in protecting our animals from being infected, we recently flagged off the vaccination of all cattle in the state.

“As we speak the vaccination is ongoing to ensure the health and safety of our animals for human consumption, ” Ojomah said.

Dr O. OLu, a veterinary doctor, said that much has changed at the abattoir and called for more deliberate action by the government to put the place in order.

Olu said that the government should know that it was all about the lives of residents of Kogi when it comes to meat and food consumption.

“I will only appeal to the state government to ensure that the abattoir is raised to international standard for the good of citizens of the state, ” he said.

Also, the Meat Sellers Association said that the government needed to do more on the issue of preservation, and appealed for the provision of cold rooms at the abattoir.

Mr Tenimu Umar, Chairman of the Association of Meat Sellers In Adankolo, appealed to the state government to provide meat sellers in the state with electricity and a good cold room to help in the preservation of their meat.

The Chairman expressed gladness that the abattoir was operating under a hygienic environment.

“I think we can rightly commend Gov. Usman Ododo’s administration for the provision of a well at the Abattoir.

“Ot has helped in the provision of water, thereby enhancing the hygiene of meats being prepared daily,” he said.

Umar also urged the Kogi government to help address the issue of land encroachment at the Abattoir.

According to him, the environment is getting choked up and tight, which is not part of the characteristics of a good Abattoir.

Mr Mohammed Bilal, a meat seller at Lokongoma market, commended the state government for ensuring that only healthy animals were being slaughtered at the Abattoir.

Bilal also urged the government to provide cold rooms in the abattoir, adding that most of the meat sellers paid heavily to private owners of cold rooms even when, at times, they did not get the desired service.

“There are times we get disappointed with operators of the cold rooms, especially when they do not have electricity and our meats get spoiled

“The unfortunate thing is, sometimes we run into serious losses, ” he said.

Mrs Gbadebo Damilola, a retired Nurse, said that she believed meats being sold to the public were not 100 per cent hygienic.

“To me, the meats we buy are 50 per cent hygienic and 50 per cent unhygienic.

“I said so because, in an ideal situation, veterinary doctors are supposed to assess the meats before they are sold out.

“Environmental Officials are also expected to check the environments where the cows are being killed,” she said.

She said that only when those health officials were allowed to perform their duties at the abattoir that an animal could be ascertained feat to be killed for consumption.

Meanwhile, Niger residents have called on the state government to improve facilities at abattoirs over rising concerns about the safety and hygiene of meat products consumed by the public.

They lamented the unhygienic environments and poor meat handling by butchers in abattoirs.

Malam Yahaya Usman told NAN at the Minna abattoir located in Taxi village that the neglect of basic sanitation and hygiene practices among butchers was a thing of concern.

“Lack of adherence to meat processing standard calls for quick action from the state government,” he said.

He expressed a lack of trust in meat quality, hygiene and safety and called on the state government to improve regulations and monitoring of abattoirs across the state.

According to him, consuming meat from unhygienic abattoirs poses significant health risks.

A butcher, Abubakar Idris, lamented over inadequate waste disposal and sanitary facilities as well as untrained butchers handling meat.

“There are rules and regulations set by the government on what butchers are supposed to do while processing meats, but, unfortunately, many butchers do not adhere to these rules,” he said.

He called on the state government to upgrade infrastructure at abattoirs and provide training for butchers as well as enhance regulatory oversight to have safe and hygienic meat products.

Zephaniah Obadiah, a meat consumer from Suleja, lamented the deplorable state of the Suleja abattoir, calling on the state government for urgent attention.

He decried the unhygienic environment used for meat processing and how meats were being handled by butchers and meat vendors.

Obadiah called on the state government to prioritise improving hygiene, safety and management practices to safeguard public health.

Report from Imo and Abia states has it that no standard abattoirs in both states.

The report said veterinary experts and residents of Abia and Imo have expressed concern over the conditions of abattoirs in the two states, describing them as substandard and unhygienic.

A cross-section of the respondents said that the existing abattoirs lacked the modern facilities required in the 21st century.

An Umuahia-based Veterinarian, Dr Nwabueze Ibeneme, said that the physical conditions and functional status of abattoirs in Abia were grossly below standard requirements.

Ibeneme told NAN in Umuahia that the state of abattoirs was generally deplorable, citing their unhygienic conditions and poor meat handling, which exposed the meat to contaminants.

He said that the abattoirs in the state lacked lairage, where animals are rested prior to slaughter.

“When an animal is not well rested before slaughter, it affects the quality of the meat it produces,” he said.

Ibeneme also said that the absence of proper ante-mortem inspection, inadequate water supply and the lack of functional animal waste management were common characteristics of all the abattoirs in the state.

He said that poor meat handling
resulted in contamination of meat with dust and sand, making it unpalatable.

“This also results in meat spoilage, and reduction of its quality,” he said.

According to him, poor meat handling encourages the spread of zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis, anthrax, helminthiasis, and salmonellosis.

Ibeneme further said that the components of a standard abattoir included standard laboratory for ante-mortem inspection, good source of water, lairage and a good waste management system.

He, therefore, called on the state government to urgently build standard abattoirs that have these components in major cities in the state.

He also urged the government to employ more veterinarians to handle the ante and post-mortem inspections to ensure that wholesome meat products are made available for human consumption.

Ibeneme further highlighted the importance of providing a platform to train butchers on basic issues concerning the handling of meat.

A butcher at the Good morning Market, Aba, Kingsley Nnaji, said that they had no problem with the procedure for processing meat in the market.

Nnaji, however, pointed out that some facilities in the market needed to be upgraded for better and cleaner meat processing.

He said that the abattoir required an upgrade with modern equipment that would improve the neatness in meat handling.

Mrs Joy Smart, who operates a cafeteria and a regular face at the meat market, said that the butchers were trying hard to keep the environment hygienic.

“After every day’s business, the butchers and the abattoir operators clean up the environment and tables.

“They also come on Saturdays to clean the abattoir and the entire market, and during the exercise, they do not slaughter or sell meat,” Smart said.

She, however, added that the facilities at the abattoir and the market could be improved to help the butchers deliver better services to the public.

Another butcher, Onyebuchi Monday, said that the abattoir shared a fence with a burial ground and should be relocated to another area “because it is not fit for an abattoir to operate near a burial ground”.

He urged the state government to also improve the system of handling hides and skins, which are roasted in fire made with old tyres.

He said that the smoke from the tyre, which enters their nostrils, are not healthy, hence that aspect of meat handling should be given urgent attention and upgrade.

In Imo, a NAN correspondent, who visited some abattoirs, reports that the butchers were handling the meat with very little regard to hygiene.

Tables for the display of meat were largely unkempt with stains from caked and dry blood.

Also, condemned tyres were seen being used to process cow skin, popularly called “kanda”.

However, the slaughter slabs were neatly maintained, as the butchers ensured that they were washed as soon as they concluded slaughtering and dismembering the cow.

Some of the butchers, who spoke on the poor conditions of the abattoirs, appealed to the state government to build standard abattoirs with modern facilities, including covered pens to protect the cows from harsh weather conditions.

A customer, Mrs Eunice Iwuchukwu, said that the state of the abattoirs in Owerri left much to be desired, compared with the standard in other climes with greater concern for human health.

Iwuchukwu said that Nigerians were being saved from contracting animal diseases because “meat is usually cooked until they are well done to effectively neutralize diseases”.

Another customer, Mr. Obinna Isukwem, condemned the practice of selling blood and cattle urine to people, who either boil the blood as meat and use the urine for alternative medicine.

Isukwem called for measures to ensure that animal blood is only sold for processing into animal feed, while the urine is safely disposed to avoid potentially harmful practices.

A veterinarian, Dr. Peace Egbuchulam, called for the destruction of contaminated animals to avoid the transmission of zoonotic diseases to human consumers.

Egbuchulam said that the diseases should be detected during the pre-slaughter inspections by animal health workers.

She said that vets and health workers should look out for diseases, while also checking the history of the animals to ensure that they never suffered from any disease that is potentially harmful to humans.

He, however, said that animal owners often conceal contaminated animals and slaughter them without the knowledge of the inspectors.

She said that the unwholesome practice posed health risks, such as antibiotic resistance, to consumers of such contaminated meat.

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“When an inspector is on duty, he should examine the animal properly before it is slaughtered to detect if it is sick or compromised in any way.

“Sick animals should then be destroyed under close supervision to ensure that they are not sold to unsuspecting consumers.

“Some animal owners prefer to slaughter their animals when they are not responding to treatment to avoid losses.

“This practice is harmful to consumers because the drugs used in treating the animals are then ingested to human consumers.

“This usually leads to antibiotic resistance and possible transmission of animal diseases, such as anthrax and tuberculosis, to humans,” she said.

She, however, clarified that the whole animals should not be destroyed, pointing out that only the affected part is destroyed, if the disease is localized, while the rest can be safely consumed.