Assessment of operational facilities and sanitary practices in Zangon Shanu abattoir, Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the operational facilities and sanitary practices in Zangon Shanu abattoir, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Semi structured questionnaires were administered to the workers and also observational studies on facilities and sanitary practices in the abattoir were conducted. The results showed that 75.00% of the abattoir workers were between the ages of 25 to 35 years, with majority (P<0.05) not well educated. Also 60.00% of the workers are working in the abattoir for more than 6 years (P<0.05), with only 40.00% were well trained on abattoir operations. Observational assessment of abattoir facilities revealed that the size and sitting of the abattoir were very satisfactory, however not cited close to livestock market. Facilities such as lairage, evisceration section, guttery and tripery section, cold room, detained meat section and condemned meat section are present but non-functional. There is ample supply of water from the overhead tank and also hand pump borehole. Most of the solid wastes (bones, horns and undigested ingesta) were packed in sacks and transported out of the abattoir for other uses, while the rests were burnt in the abattoir and the ashes packed for other uses. Liquid wastes was normally done manually by sweeping with brooms and directed into the drainage system which was opened into the nearby stream and bush. All blood from the slaughtered animals were collected into containers, boiled and taken out of the abattoir for other uses. Cleaning and disinfection of the slaughter slabs, premises and floors were done daily and the wastewater and its effluents directed into drainage. The study recommends renovation of some facilities; provision of sanitary sections with well-equipped facilities and provision of bins and dumpsites for proper disposal of wastes.

Improving Food Safety Culture in Nigeria: A Review of Practical Issues

“…While several consumers and food businesses are keen to improve their food safety practices, the appropriate facilities that would help to promote safe food handling practices have been deficient. For instance, many communities and food businesses lack: adequate means of hygienically washing and drying utensils and equipment; lavatories of appropriate hygienic design; adequate facilities for food storage, ingredients, and non-food chemicals; and adequate drainage and waste disposal systems [35][36][37]. The lack of a continuous power supply further hampers the storage of raw agricultural products and processed food.…”

“…Other key obstacles to food safety in Nigeria include the lack of a positive attitude towards risk management and an unwillingness to learn from accidents, near misses, and safety performance indicators [78][79][80][81]. As reported in several studies, foods are often prepared in unsanitary conditions, regular washing of hands is somewhat rare, and foods are often exposed to flies and other insects [18,[35][36][37][38]64,67,73,77,81]. Among certain ethnic groups, keeping and preparing foods in advance for consumption is a common practice, while in some communities, food poisoning is often associated with evil spirits and ancestral curses [82].…”

Assessment of the Work Conditions of Small Slaughterhouses in the Thi-Qar Governorate in Iraq

“…Nevertheless, in the developing countries, most of slaughterhouses are still lacking proper working conditions such as good construction, adequate facilities for meat inspection and appropriate sanitation and hygienic practices. 16 From this study can then be inferred that practices of sanitation in slaughterhouses were rather satisfactory. These results are in conflict with the study done by Olowoporoku in Nigeria, which stated that practices of sanitation in slaughterhouses were very poor.…”

Slaughter Conditions and Slaughtering of Pregnant Cows in Southeast Nigeria: Implications to Meat Quality, Food Safety and Security

“…In Nigeria, the local and state governments have the responsibility to oversee and regulate the operations of slaughterhouses domiciled in their locality; however, some governments have contracted the oversight and regulatory functions to privately owned organisations. As a result, ante-mortem inspections, including pregnancy diagnosis in female animals intended for slaughter, have been reduced to mere collection of revenue per animal slaughtered [102,103]. To worsen the problem, veterinarians, who by training are competent on pregnancy and disease diagnosis in animals, are hardly employed by the contractors, probably to save costs.…”