Think before you eat: Unhygienic meat seized

Hazardous commodity was meant to be supplied to different areas of Rawalpindi.

RAWALPINDI:

A team of the District Livestock Department on Friday arrested three suspects and seized over 50 kilograms of substandard meat from their possession.

The suspects, identified as Saleem Raza, Zahoor Ahmad and Abdul Khaliq, were reportedly supplying the unhygienic meat to different areas of Rawalpindi.

General Manager Sihala Slaughter House, Dr Irshad, told The Express Tribune that a vehicle (IDJ-3711) containing potentially harmful meat was heading towards Rawalpindi when a team of the Live Stock Department and the local police barricaded a road near Rawat and spotted the vehicle.

“Upon seeing the team, the driver sped up the vehicle, but we chased and got hold of the him near Mukkha Singh Estate in the jurisdiction of the Waris Khan Police Station,” he said.



Dr Irshad said that the team recovered four pieces of camel meat and nine pieces of buffalos meat from the vehicle.

“Foul-smell was coming from the confiscated meat,” he said adding that the hazardous meat did not carry label of the Food Department.

He said that the meat was completely hazardous and could have caused fatal diseases, if reached to end-consumers. “Consuming such meat can cause Hepatitis B and C, stomach diseases and even cancer,” he said.

He said that it was evident from the foul stench that the animals had died long ago.

Station House Officer (SHO) Waris Khan Police Station Raja Abdur Rashid said that cases had been lodged against the suspects and investigation was underway.

While talking about the sale of substandard meat in the city, Dr Irshad said that regular raids were being conducted at slaughterhouses and butcher shops to stop supply of potentially harmful meat in the market.

He said that special chemicals were being used by suspects on meat and it becomes difficult to differentiate between the substandard and quality meat.

“Dozens of butchers selling substandard meat were arrested in the past but they were released on bail,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.