MEDIA RELEASE

RELEASED ON

21 JULY 2003

ON BEHALF OF THE

RED MEAT ABATTOIR ASSOCIATION

CEREMONIAL/RELIGIOUS SLAUGHTERING AND PUBLIC HEALTH:

Finding a Balance Between Rights and Responsibilities

The Red Meat Abattoir Association of South Africa has taken note of the Public Health By-laws 2003 that have recently been made public by the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and in particular of those amendments that now allow for ceremonial- and religious slaughtering in residential areas. The Association is of the opinion that the said by-laws -- and the potential negative implications that these may result in if applied as is -- demand further and more extensive public scrutiny and discussion. In light of the strong possibility that these by-laws might become the rule rather than the exception in all major metropolitan areas of the country, the Association calls on all the relevant regional, provincial and national authorities, civil society stakeholders and the general public to recognize their responsibility to peruse the content and especially the potential medium- to long term health risk implications of the announced amendments. If not dealt with as a matter of general public interest and thus of common importance, South African meat consumers’ safety could be in jeopardy.

Whilst recognizing and respecting the individual and specific interest groups’ constitutional right to perform slaughtering as part of religious and/or cultural rituals and ceremonies, the RMAA must give priority and continuously work to secure and protect the consumer’s right to safe meat products and the safe production practices that guarantee these. The health risk issues placed on the agenda by the said by-laws confront all involved – including ordinary citizens – with the challenge to find a balance between the rights and responsibilities entrenched in ceremonial- and religious slaughtering. Thus the urgent need for further deliberation and consultation.

Consideration must be given to the following facts, realities and risks related to the envisaged open-ended exemption:

• The rights of cultural and religious groups are recognized in the Meat Safety Act (Act 40 of 2000) and serious effort is made by the abattoir industry to serve the interests of the
   
• Jewish and Muslim communities for the provision of safe meat products that still comply with the recognized standards of meat hygiene and safety. Up to now regulations have allowed for informal slaughtering in a manner that ensures the safety of consumers as well as the welfare of animals prior to and during the slaughter process. These exemptions have been controlled in terms of regulations stipulating the number of animals that can be slaughtered, the disposal of products not suitable for human consumption and the directive that the meat produced may not be sold to any person.
    
• The “blanket” exemption provided for in the announced by-laws does not include the clear directives pivotal to ensure and maintain meat hygiene and safety standards. It is highly unlikely if not impossible to maintain these standards in a private (residential) context where there is not the necessary extensive hygiene environment. The following practical requirements and guidelines should be in place to guarantee the safety of those who consume the meat produced in these ceremonies:
  
   
  • Directives to recognize injured, diseased and stressed animals
  • Guidelines on ways in which blood should be disposed of in a safe manner
  • Guidelines on ways in which animals are slaughtered with minimal contamination during the procedure
  • Guidelines on ways in which the growth of bacteria can be delayed or suppressed
     
• Eating meat that is not inspected can be detrimental. Unsafe meat products can be harmful to the consumer’s health and can cause certain zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis and tape worm infection. In light of this reality inspection by a health expert of the hygiene conditions prior to an informal slaughtering is the least that should be required by law to protect people’s health.

The Red Meat Abattoir Association appeals to those in authority to seriously consider the following suggestions:

• That “good practice” meat safety procedures elsewhere in the world – where cultural- and religious diversity has resulted in laws providing exemption for similar slaughtering practices and where these have been implemented with success over a significant period of time – should be studied and/or consulted to assist South Africans in this continuing period of transformation and transition.
   
• Rather than providing open-ended “blanket” exemption, the latter should only be granted on an ad hoc basis after proper evaluation of individual applications. This – together with the effective implementation of the earlier mentioned directives and guidelines – would go a long way to ensure a safe level of meat hygiene and safety standards in an informal slaughtering context.
   
• Serious consideration should be given to feasible and effective regulations that would control and monitor the “final destination” of all meat produced through ceremonial- and religious slaughtering. The present by-laws are vague in this regard. Commercial dispensing of such meat products could have a severely detrimental impact on South Africa’s meat safety standards and general public health and should be prevented at all costs.
   
• The present crisis related to traditional initiation practices have focused public attention again on the importance of public awareness of health risks related to such cultural- and other practices and the also on the responsibility of those responsible for legislation to monitor and regulate constitutional rights with entrenched health risks to a certain extent. The RMAA therefore strongly suggests not only an assertive public awareness campaign to educate South Africans on the right and responsibilities related to informal slaughtering, but also urgent consultation with regional, provincial and national authorities on how ways in which health risks could be managed collective and effectively. 

The Chairperson of the RMAA, Mr. Gerrie Oberholzer, released this media statement.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR MEDIA REQUESTS PLEASE CONTACT:

General Manager of RMAA, Dr. Gerhard Neethling (012 349 1237/8/9; manager@rmaa.co.za) or Dominique Mannél (Illumination: 021 851 4339; info@illumination.co.za)

End Ill/rmaa2/21-7-2003/eb