Quarantine hurting Jinja meat dealers
Aug 04, 2008
THE ban imposed on livestock movement in Jinja district after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is hurting meat dealers and consumers.
By George Bita and Esther Mukyala
THE ban imposed on livestock movement in Jinja district after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is hurting meat dealers and consumers.
Siraje Kaliba, the chairman of the Jinja Central Market Meat Traders Association, last week told The New Vision that each stall owner was paying a mandatory sh23,000 monthly tax to the municipal council.
“It is even worse for those running butcheries outside the municipal abattoir for they have to pay an extra sh400,000 as rental fees,†he explained.
“Imagine paying all that when one has not been working for a month.â€
He added that on average, 40 head of cattle were slaughtered daily, with the number rising to 60 on weekends but everything had come to a standstill.
“This means cattle traders and farmers are all feeling the pinch.â€
Due to the acute meat shortage, the price of fish has risen sharply.
A small Tilapia fish (engege) now goes for sh4,000.
Every morning the butchers sit idle outside their closed stalls in anticipation of a resumption-of-duty notice from the district veterinary officials.
Dr. Chris Rutebarika, the commissioner for livestock health and entomology, ordered the quarantine on June 18, which indefinitely restricted the movement of livestock and its products.
The district disease surveillance officer, Moses Dhikusoka, said they would meet soon to review the status of the disease.
“If there are no fresh cases of the disease within 21 days of first occurrence, then we shall forward the recommendation to lift the quarantine.â€
THE ban imposed on livestock movement in Jinja district after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is hurting meat dealers and consumers.
Siraje Kaliba, the chairman of the Jinja Central Market Meat Traders Association, last week told The New Vision that each stall owner was paying a mandatory sh23,000 monthly tax to the municipal council.
“It is even worse for those running butcheries outside the municipal abattoir for they have to pay an extra sh400,000 as rental fees,†he explained.
“Imagine paying all that when one has not been working for a month.â€
He added that on average, 40 head of cattle were slaughtered daily, with the number rising to 60 on weekends but everything had come to a standstill.
“This means cattle traders and farmers are all feeling the pinch.â€
Due to the acute meat shortage, the price of fish has risen sharply.
A small Tilapia fish (engege) now goes for sh4,000.
Every morning the butchers sit idle outside their closed stalls in anticipation of a resumption-of-duty notice from the district veterinary officials.
Dr. Chris Rutebarika, the commissioner for livestock health and entomology, ordered the quarantine on June 18, which indefinitely restricted the movement of livestock and its products.
The district disease surveillance officer, Moses Dhikusoka, said they would meet soon to review the status of the disease.
“If there are no fresh cases of the disease within 21 days of first occurrence, then we shall forward the recommendation to lift the quarantine.â€