Wa, Aug 13, GNA - Environmental Health Officers have been urged to ensure that butchers undergo test to determined their health status every six months.

Dr Mohammed Alfa, Head of the Inspectorate Department of the Food and Drugs Board, said this at a workshop for Environmental Health Officers and butchers in the Upper West Region at Wa on Friday. Speaking on the Food and Drugs law in relation to the meat industry, he noted that if environmental officers performed their duties properly, few people would visit hospital, which would reduce the health budget.

He stated that the transportation of meat on unauthorised vehicles such as push-trucks, wheel-burrows, motorbikes and bicycles was a serious offence.

In situations where the district assemblies are unable to provide meat-vans, which was their responsibility, there was little Environmental Officers could do to enforce the law, he said. More

Dr Alfa advised them to remain steadfast in enforcing the law since their action should be geared towards promoting public safety. The workshop also treated ensuring safe meat from abattoir to market, disease from ruminates, regulations of meat in Ghana - the way forward and ethics of inspections.

Mr H B Naboo, Wa Municipal Co-ordinating Director, opening the workshop said in spite of the provision of a meat van, it was still common practice for butchers to carry meat on their shoulders, bicycles and motorbikes because they wanted to evade the fee charged by the Assembly.

He appealed to them to stop the practice and to refrain from slaughtering animals outside slaughterhouses.

Mr Naboo said that Municipal Assembly was to take delivery of a refuse collection tractor with a trailer; six refuse containers and a loader from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to improve sanitation in the area.