Watch what you eat: Beef sale slumps with consumers cowered by sale of donkey meat

Haripur’s butchers face major economic setback as customers lose trust.

HARIPUR: The sale of beef has plummeted across Haripur after a meat seller was arrested last week on charges of selling donkey meat to butchers and restaurant owners.

Insiders told The Express Tribune local butchers have borne the brunt of the negative hype created by the media regarding the incident as the daily sale of beef has decreased significantly.

Ghulam Shabir, a resident of Toba Tek Singh, was taken into custody on January 21. Police seized four live donkeys, a skinned donkey and two hides from him. The accused was presented before the court of a judicial magistrate. Shabir denied the charges and insisted he was removing the donkey’s hide to make a dholak (drum). Subsequently, the magistrate handed Shabir over to the police for a physical remand of five days.

However, speculation is rife that he was involved in selling donkey meat. According to police, Shabir confessed during interrogation he was involved in the business for several months.

As a result, there is uncertainty and doubt surrounding the quality of meat being sold in the local market. Even regular consumers have avoided buying it. This has affected the business of local butchers.

Slumps and grunts

“I used to sell buffalo meat every day,” said Younus, a local butcher. “However, the situation has changed abruptly as regular customers have lost faith in the quality of beef I sell them. They don’t visit my shop anymore.”

Chaudhry Siddique, president of the Butchers’ Association in Haripur, said the incident has triggered countless financial problems for local butchers.

“Many butchers purchase beef on credit and pay a fraction of it to contractors in the evening once it has been sold,” he said. “However, the recent scandal has made it difficult for butchers to sell beef and their debts have increased.”

No takers?

Rafique Chaudhry, a local butcher from Sera-e-Salah village, claimed last week’s incident has dented the credibility of local butchers and affected their clientele.

“Butchers from this area have a vast clientele,” he said. “We get a lot of orders for wedding ceremonies and receptions. However, [news of] the sale of donkey meat has reduced our sales by at least 70%.”

According to Chaudhry, butchers have resorted to slaughtering their animals out in the open to ward off any misconceptions held about the quality of beef they are selling.

Quality control

At this juncture, ensuring quality control could restore the confidence of customers and boost the sale of beef. However, an official at Municipal Committee Haripur said maintaining quality control has become challenging task as all major stakeholders have shied away from their responsibilities.

He said every butcher is legally required to slaughter animals in the vicinity of a slaughterhouse. Moreover, a veterinary doctor must examine the animals and put an official stamp mark on the meat. “More often than not, slaughterhouses have limited space,” he explained. “As a result, veterinary doctors avoid visiting them.”

According to the official, some butchers do not have animals examined by a specialist and put their own stamps on the meat.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2015.