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Following the outbreak of anthrax in the districts Rakai and Kyotera districts, the Kampala Butchers and Traders Association (KABUTA) has announced tough guidelines to abattoirs to ensure safety during the festive season.

To make sure that no animal from the two vulnerable districts enters any abattoir, The association is working closely with the Uganda Veterinary Association (UVA), Uganda security authorities, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), and other associations to ensure that cattle from the two affected district are not slaughtered in the abattoirs.

The Ministry of Health early this month announced an outbreak of anthrax long after the locals related it to witchcraft in Kyotera.

It has since claimed 18 lives in Kabira Sub County, and left 28 people bedridden.

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis.

In an interview with the New Vision on Monday, the KABUTA Chairman, Haj Musa Ssenabulya stated that all cattle dealers must make sure that the animals they purchase have been cleared by the appropriate authorities.

“Make sure that every animal you buy, you obtain the prerequisite papers from the seller or the farmers, and must be signed by the veterinary officers in the respective areas,” he added.

He emphasized that moving animals in crowded, inappropriate vehicles, such as tiny automobiles, has an adverse effect on the quality of the animal and its, stressing that animals must also be handled according to the guidelines and standards.

Slaughtering

On December 18, 2023, Ssenabulya told reporters during the weekly joint security briefing at the police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, that all animals must be slaughtered in gazetted slaughterhouses/abattoirs and that every animal that arrives at the abattoir needs must be checked over by the relevant veterinary officers before being killed.

“Make sure no animal leaves the abattoir after entering,” he added.

Ssenabulya emphasized that every animal carcass must be stamped by a veterinary officer.

He urged veterinary officers serving on town councils throughout the greater Kampala area to make sure that controls over food safety and quality are maintained.

Retailers of meat have been urged to purchase their meat from registered slaughter facilities; additionally, and must be transported using the finest guidelines and procedures and include a veterinary mark or stamp.

“For example, meat should be transported in boxes painted white with food aluminium casing inside to uphold food safety,” he added.

According to Senabulya, the goal of the directives is to stop the spread of anthrax and other diseases, and make sure that only certified animals are brought into butcher shops and abattoirs for consumption throughout the holiday season.

“We want to ensure professionalism and quality control during this festive season.  It all starts from the farm, through the abattoir, butchery, and up to the consumer,” he noted.

He also discouraged farmers from selling pregnant or breastfeeding animals.

“Quality and food safety starts from the farm. There is a risk of delivering unfit animals to the market, this in turn results in delivering unsafe meat that can cause sickness to the consumers,” he noted.