Abu Dhabi, April 30, 2010: Pre-slaughter medical check up for animals, implementation of HACCP and ISO 22000 in all slaughter houses in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, numbering and registration of animals in a way that facilitates tracing the origin of contagious diseases   and stern enforcement of the rules not to butcher animals in places others than slaughter houses are among the recommendations that emerged from a seminar held at Royal Meriden in Abu Dhabi.

Organized by the Animal and Plant Health Division of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the half-day seminar on Slaughter Houses and Community Health saw a number of presentations by experts, including on diseases that human beings can contract from animals.

Ahmed Kulaib Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of Animal and Plant Health at ADFCA, stressed on the importance of veterinary examinations of animals before and after slaughter and termed it as essential to ensure they are fit for human consumption. �The safety aspect of slaughter houses in the Arab world is not just a public health issue, but also one that has religious and cultural implications,� he pointed out while giving the opening remarks at the seminar.

The speakers at the seminar emphasized on the need for sensitizing the owners and workers of the 48 animal breeding farms in the emirate of Abu Dhabi as well as on the critical importance of taking the community into confidence about the steps being taken to ensure safety of all meat products being sold to the public. Illustrated presentations by experts demonstrated with pictures and statistics the tangible difference between slaughterhouses in the emirate in the past and at present, testifying to the sterling role of ADFCA in this regard. They all stressed the fact that utmost care in matters of hygiene and food safety in slaughter houses would go a long way in ensuring public health in the emirate, including the well being of the workers in the slaughterhouses themselves.

The panel of speakers at the event included Dr. Mutasim Abdul Noor and Mohamed Al Fatih Hamad of ADFCA, Dr. Husain Ilmi from Abu Dhabi Municipality, Helen Nicks of the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi and Dr. Musthafa Omar of Abu Dhabi Modern Poultry Farm.