More licences for chicken slaughterhouses planned in Bahrain

LICENCES to slaughter chicken could be given across Bahrain as part of efforts by the kingdom’s largest municipal council to regulate the trade.

Councillors claim such a move would help shut down illegal slaughter houses mushrooming in the country amidst fears of unsanitary poultry.

Northern Municipal Council yesterday stressed the importance of adhering to the Public Health Law.

Technical committee chairman Abdullah Al Qubaisi pointed out that Delmon Poultry was the only establishment licensed in Bahrain to slaughter chickens.

“Illegal abbatoirs are mushrooming across the country and it is our role to ensure that government regulations in place to protect public health are properly implemented,” he said during the council’s weekly meeting yesterday.

“There are designated slaughterhouses for livestock that are licensed, inspected and regulated. However, such facilities are not available for poultry.

“Licences can be provided so that people pursue the activity legally while ensuring that health conditions are implemented.”

Mr Al Qubaisi also claimed that restricting the activity to a single establishment was ‘unfair’.

“The slaughter of live chickens was previously done across Bahrain, but it has now been limited to Delmon Poultry,” said services committee chairman Faisal Shabeeb.

“It was a source of livelihood for people in the past.

“We complain about unemployment all the time and this is an opportunity for people – who actually want to do this – to get licensed and legally pursue the trade.”

The councillors also called for tougher restrictions and inspections on transport of livestock.

“I have seen open pick-up trucks with hooves sticking out. Their storage facilities are so poor that it could pose a grave health hazard,” Mr Al Qubaisi alleged.

Councillors unanimously approved the proposal to set up an urgent meeting with officials from the Ministries of Health, Industry, Commerce and Tourism as well as Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry’s Animal Wealth Directorate to clarify the mechanism in place and propose new strategies.

Bahrain plans to increase local poultry production from nine million to 20m chicken and boost egg production to cover 33 per cent of the local consumption.

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