05 April 2012

BEIRUT: Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan said Wednesday that the Beirut public slaughterhouse will be renovated as soon as possible, describing its current state as “deplorable.”

“We contacted the Court of Accounts and the first decision we made is to carry out a very quick renovation of this slaughterhouse,” Hajj Hasan told reporters at the Agriculture Ministry.

The announcement comes as concerns over food safety in the country remain high, following nearly daily discoveries of spoiled foodstuffs.

The Beirut slaughterhouse, which is located in Karantina, does not meet health standards.

“The Beirut mayor and the [acting] governor of Beirut have the needed funds and will carry out the process as quickly as possible,” Hajj Hasan added, hoping that the project would begin within weeks.

“We spoke to the head of the Court of Accounts on this matter so that a tender bidding process [to grant a contract to the company which will rehabilitate the structure] takes place quickly.”

The minister’s remarks came after he discussed the situation at the Beirut slaughterhouse in a meeting with Beirut Mayor Bilal Hamad, Beirut acting Governor Nassif Qaloush and Mohammad Said Khansa, who is the mayor of the capital’s Ghobeiri area and the head of the union of municipalities in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Hamad said that when he came to office in June 2010, he planned to build “a modern slaughterhouse” next to the current one.

“I figured out that there are certain obstacles that need to be addressed politically,” he said, explaining that the Maronite Church, which holds real estate in Karantina, is opposed to the area being used for the slaughterhouse.

“I tried to resolve these obstacles but realized that it would take time; that’s why I decided to renovate the current slaughterhouse,” Hamad said.

Hajj Hasan said that an agreement was reached on management for the slaughterhouse as well.

“The Health Department of the Beirut Municipality and the Governorate of Beirut will be tasked with checking on the health of the employees and the Slaughterhouse Authority on the safety measures involved in slaughtering animals.”

The minister was adamant that renovation alone was an insufficient step, explaining that the slaughterhouse currently only has the capacity to meet one-third of demand from the capital and its suburbs. Under the law, all butchers should slaughter their livestock at the public slaughterhouse.

He said that the option of turning to some private slaughterhouses was being mulled.

“That’s why we agreed that a committee from the Agriculture Ministry, Beirut Municipality, Beirut Governorate and the municipalities of the coastal area of southern Metn and the Beirut southern suburbs will visit slaughterhouses in the town of Choueifat, in coordination with an international oversight company,” he said.

The company will prepare a report on whether it would be possible to use the slaughterhouses in Choueifat for public purposes.

“Once the report is issued, there will be a decision from the municipalities of Beirut and the capital’s suburbs, and later, all municipalities, to gradually eliminate slaughtering outside slaughterhouses and it will take effect completely by the end of 2012,” he said. Currently, many butchers slaughter sheep at their shops.

Hajj Hasan said that Prime Minister Najib Mikati requested in a letter Wednesday that Qaloush move to build a new slaughterhouse.

“But building this permanent and larger slaughterhouse faces obstacles which are currently difficult to resolve,” Hajj Hasan said.

He added that the Beirut governorate had kicked off a comprehensive campaign in cooperation with the economy and agriculture ministries to survey food storage facilities.

Qaloush issued a letter asking all stores and establishments that buy and store foodstuffs to adhere to health standards along with public safety guidelines, adding that violators would be punished.

Hajj Hasan said that his ministry had surveyed all slaughterhouses across the country over the past months and promised stricter measures to ensure that all standards are being met.

Separately, members of the Internal Security Forces Information Branch in Tyre and the Jwayya police raided a fish store in the village of Jnata, to the east of the city, where they discovered 92 boxes of fish, the bulk of which had expired three months ago. The store was shut down.

Copyright The Daily Star 2012.