Abattoir Practices and Animal Products Technology

EXISTING CONDITIONS

• There are 3600 registered slaughterhouses in India besides, a number of slaughter booths where mostly clandestine slaughter takes place.
• Most of the slaughterhouses are lack in proper facilities of lairage, inspection, water, light, electricity, collection of edible and inedible offal and disposal of slaughter effluents.
• Mostly they are very old and dilapidated due to lack of planning and funds as the planners fail to understand the necessity of slaughterhouses over the public health and meat consumption. 
• The expenditure involved may be low in comparison with the advantages, which could accrue in construction of slaughterhouses. The person involved in the slaughter process are ill trained and often go with the practices not at all encouraging for hygienic and wholesome meat production.  
• There are no proper avenues in the slaughterhouses to utilize the slaughterhouse byproducts, In some places - the heads, feet and other offal are given to poor women in return for help during slaughtering by flaying, washing and doing similar types of work, who often succumb to number of health hazards. 
• The elements of meat hygiene were seldomly be practiced, bad habits and unhygienic meat handling practices, such as the chopping up or soaking of meat in water before sale are in vogue.
• No restriction in the movement of unauthorized persons and entry of the stray dogs at the site of slaughter in the abattoirs.