Kingsley Aboagye-Gyedu, the Western North Regional Minister, has Commissioned a modern butchery in the Aowin Municipality to ensure animals are slaughtered and processed under hygienic condition to enhance meat quality for public consumption and food safety.

The butchery was rehabilitated within six months at the cost of GH?245,504.00 and funded from the District Development Fund (DDF).

The butchery has a processing room, cold room, an office, a place of convenience, mechanized borehole and a fenced environment.

Mr Aboagye-Gyedu, commissioning the facility, said the old slaughter slab had outlived its usefulness hence the need to rehabilitate the abandoned slaughterhouse into a state of the art facility for the municipality.

He called for cooperation from the stakeholders, especially the butchers to maintain the standards and avoid meat poison and microbial contamination.

Mr Samuel Adu Gyamfi, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), entreated the stakeholders to respect the COVID-19 protocols, display all health practices in processing meat for public consumption and also fulfil their tax obligations to the government by paying their rates and fees promptly.

"The Veterinary Services and Environmental Health Department would monitor and supervise the operations of the butchery in line with the strict adherence to the food safety and hygienic practices as prescribed in the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851," he said.

He said the butchery was provided with metal rails to enable the butchers to use Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and urged them to desist from using tyres in singeing carcasses for the market.

The MCE said the butchery would enhance hygiene practices and safeguard public health in the municipality and asked the stakeholders to maintain the facility.

Alhaji Ibrahim Insay, a representative of the butchers, expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Assembly for the facility and pledged proper culture of maintenance to prolong its life span.

He said the Association would implore members to adhere to the hygienic, appropriate, and acceptable meat processing measures as well as observe the COVID-19 protocols.

He appealed to the Assembly to procure a meat van for easy transportation of meat from the butchery to the meat shop and sales points.