SUKKUR, April 20 Lack of quality checks on animals brought to municipal slaughter house is resulting in the marketing of low quality beef and mutton to retailers and eventually to customers at exorbitant rates, reveals Dawn survey.

Majority of animals making to slaughter house are sick but with the connivance of veterinarians and slaughter house staff, these are slain and sold in local markets of Sukkur.

The most obvious reason of this inhuman practice is the greed as healthy animals are first transported to Balochistan from where these are smuggled to Afghanistan for windfall gains.

Beef which was being sold for Rs160 per kg until three months ago is now available for Rs210 and mutton at Rs380 per kg from Rs280.

One of the butchers told this correspondent that many have switched over to trading in dry and green grocery items after releasing that the quality of meat was too inferior to be marketed.

However, livestock traders of Balochistan are mostly seen making heavy purchases of animals in Sukkur which they smuggle to Afghanistan and other foreign destinations.

The ministry of food and livestock officials, after taking bribe, issue permits for livestock export to Afghanistan for Nato forces because traders get three times the price of their herd.

General consumers have time and again highlighted the issue with the district government as the meat of sick animals is apt to result in large scale medical problems among consumers. The officials responsible should put in place proper quality checks, they argued. It is now a common practice to bring in, unstamped animals whose meat is then marketed in local markets. Slaughter house staff and vegetarians should be bound to clear the animals only after certifying their health as its meat is too hazardous for human consumption.

Administrator Sukkur and EDO Health held a meeting on Monday with local dealers and assured them of taking emergency measures, including action against livestock traders supplying sick and weak animals to slaughter house.

Imdad Ali Mangi, the veterinary specialist was not available for his comments despite several efforts.