Latest update April 4th, 2025 5:09 PM
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No beef…Work at City Abattoir at standstill amidst bulls’ shortage
The country is likely to be faced with further scarcity of beef on the market with workers at the City’s Abattoir complaining of a shortage of bulls.
The fact that the laws do not allow the slaughter of cows is not helping the situation at all.
It is stated in the act titled, “Slaughter of Cattle (Control)” that “no person shall, without the permission in writing of a veterinary officer slaughter or cause to be slaughtered any cattle with less than one permanent incisor tooth; or any cattle of female sex.”
Reports are that one veterinary officer told the workers at the abattoir that instructions came from the Minister of Agriculture that no cow should be killed.
Some of the cattle that cannot be slaughtered.
“Duh is all he tell we… nothing more, nothing less,” said one slaughterer.
Workers at the Abattoir said that the shortage has been going on for some time now. Cattle farmers at the facility admitted that there is a shortage of bulls in the country.
This newspaper understands that while the Abattoir has approximately over 130 heads of cattle, only about five are bulls.
However, when contacted yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy was firm in his position not to slaughter any cows.
He said that he is not aware that there is a shortage of bulls.
“I have a responsibility to ensure long term supply of meat is guaranteed”.
The situation has to be examined and assessed carefully, he said.
“If we kill all the females in Guyana what will happen to our population? Well it is the same situation for cattle.”
Ramsammy stated that unless it can be proven that the cows cannot reproduce, “or there is a definite shortage of bulls, we have to enforce the law.”
The officials also noted that he has an obligation to the public to ensure that “safety of consumers is met.”
Workers at the abattoir, explained that there was no work for the week until yesterday.
“.. .and after today (yesterday) we don’t know when again,” one worker said.
Despite the ban on the slaughter of cows, farmers are still taking them to the abattoir.
“It makes no sense, and we don’t have enough grass here to feed these animals… they will die,” explained an employee.
He further stated that all the animals taken to the slaughter house are usually from the savannah and “they are wild, is nuff session we got here pon a day.”
Cattle farmers also claiming that they are suffering great losses as the certification process is exhausting.
Cattle farmer, Kamar Abjal, said that the system is frustrating him where animals are to be brought to the abattoir for certification and if not certified for slaughter, they have to be taken back to Wakenaam where he resides.
According to the man, upon realizing that most times after inspection the cattle die, he asked Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture to put a system in place where the animals can be certified in Wakenaam and just come to be slaughtered in town.
“It work for two mornings, and we back to square one. Once dem veterinarian put dem hand up the cow it make it likely for dem to die on the way back so we lose a set money.”
Another farmer said that yesterday he had to take back 20 cows as a result of “the situation.”
The situation seems to be having a domino effect as butchers yesterday complained of a vast shortage and rise in cost for beef. One butcher at the La Penitence market showed that she had no beef available yesterday for sale.
However, Ramsammy stated yesterday that “I can assure you that the stand we are taking is not to make life hard for anyone, it is the law in any country.”
Earlier this year, government allocated several millions for the importation of breeding bulls from the US. Several have already been shipped in.
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