LEGAZPI CITY — The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has declared the slaughterhouse here as a certified Double Class AA abattoir and model for its counterpart facilities in other parts of the country based on the result of evaluation conducted from March until May this year.
The facility received from NMIS a grade of more than 90 percent for its butchering process, performance of butchers, and the facilities, Dr. Nancy Andes, City Veterinary Officer, said on Wednesday.
Andes said the recognition from the NMIS was a clear manifestation that Legazpi’s slaughterhouse has good practices resulting in clean and healthy meat that is safe for public consumption, not only here but even in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.
The City Veterinary Office has been conducting a regular inspection in all the local groceries, meat shops and market places to make sure that all the meat being sold are always safe and free from any animal diseases to protect the health of consumers, she added.
Andes noted that the slaughtering of animals in the barangays is prohibited in this city and only the Double AA abattoir of Legazpi is the authorized venue for it, in order to avoid the spread of animal diseases that can be harmful to the health of the people.
She said that they encourage all meat vendors to bring their animals to the city’s abattoir for slaughtering services to make sure all the meat products are clean before they bring it to the market.
The slaughterhouse has a water treatment facility for proper disposal of waste materials to prevent the contamination of water in the surroundings.
It is located within the one-hectare lot adjacent to the pumping station in Barangay San Roque, acquired through an agreement signed by Mayor Noel E. Rosal with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and supported with two resolutions adopted by the City Legislative Council in 2016.
The abattoir’s construction materialized through Resolution Number 0027-2016 requested by the city mayor for the Meat Inspection Improvement Program of Legazpi. On the other hand, Resolution Number 0028-2016 was adopted for the Implementation of the Meat Establishment Improvement Program. (Emmanuel Solis/PNA)
