LAHORE: Weak enforcement has led to rampant illegal slaughtering of animals in Lahore, forcing people to consume unhygienic meat.

Butchers openly slaughter animals in front of their shops, selling uncertified mutton, beef, heads, and trotters without fear.

“I see butchers bringing animals to their shops in the evening and slaughtering them in the morning right in front of their shops,” said a citizen.

“I’ve never seen anyone from the departments concerned checking or taking action. The animals they slaughter seem unhealthy and old.”

According to an official source, the butchers, under the law, are required to get their animals slaughtered and stamped only at designated slaughterhouses in Lahore.

Butchers are legally required to use designated slaughterhouses in Lahore, where animals are inspected by veterinary doctors. However, this process is not being followed.

An official said had this happened in other countries, the officers concerned would have been arrested.

Talking to Dawn, A Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company (Pamco) official, which operates Lahore’s largest slaughterhouse, mentioned that while their facility processes many animals daily, they are not responsible for enforcing regulations against illegal slaughtering.

“For the last 12 years, our facility has slaughtered 10 million animals. But our mandate is not to enforce regulations related to stopping illegal slaughtering and butchering of animals at the places other than the designated ones in the Punjab capital,” he explained.

“That’s the job of the Lahore metropolitan corporation,” he said.

Chief Metropolitan Officer Syed Ali Abbas Bukhari explained that the corporation only assists the livestock department in ensuring the sale of hygienic meat.

“Lahore’s three slaughterhouses cannot handle the city’s demand. We proposed 20 more facilities to stop illegal slaughtering, but the government didn’t consider it,” he said. He urged the government to address the issue and take action against those involved in unethical practices to increase meat weight.

When contacted, the district livestock officer clarified that mandate to stop illegal slaughtering no more rests with the livestock department after 2017.

“Now such issues are being handled by the officers (any grade-17 officer of the local government department) as well as the Punjab food authority,” he said.

The Punjab Food Authority spokesperson was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2024