Workers at the abattoir slaughtered and prepared eight pigs and eight cattle for delivery at the meat market as the facility resumed operations yesterday. (Photo by Eustace Samuel/OBSERVER Media)
St. John’s Antigua- Eight cattle and eight pigs were yesterday slaughtered for commercial purposes at the Government Abattoir, as operations resumed after a one-week interruption that was due to a lack of fuel.
OBSERVER Media visited the facility early yesterday just as workers at the institution were cutting and preparing the meat for storage ahead of today’s delivery to the meat market.
General Manager of the Abattoir Charlesworth Grant said operations are back to normal and the meat market should be provided with the fresh meat from now on.
“Everything we slaughtered (Wednesday) was put in the chill room to drain and set before they were cut,” Grant said. “Cattle would usually be cut into quarters and the pigs cut in halves. Early (today) they will be taken to the meat market for consumers.”
The abattoir is set to slaughter 13 cows and eight pigs today that were seen in the lairage (holding pens) during the media visit yesterday.
So far, the facility has not been asked to slaughter any goats or sheep.
A week ago, the body halted killing because it had run out of fuel needed to process the carcasses in a boiler.
Grant had explained the ministry had cut back on as much of 100 gallons of diesel usually provided to the abattoir and the 150 gallons delivered was insufficient.
Meantime, while the body said business is back to normal, figures provided yesterday are nowhere near the quantities the facility slaughtered in previous years.
In April, Grant said business was down by as much as 90 per cent in some areas.
At the time, he said, on average, the abattoir slaughtered 15 cattle, over 20 pigs and more than 20 sheep and goats and that was done three times per week.
