May 10, 2007

 

China considering regulations for pig slaughterhouses

 

 

In an effort to strengthen food safety, China has issued draft rules for pig slaughterhouses the Ministry of Commerce announced Wednesday (May 9).

 

Slaughterhouses must now be licensed and approved by local governments and environmental bureaux.

 

It must also be located away from drinking water supplies, residential and public areas. Slaughterhouses are also prohibited from injecting water or other substances to add weight to the meat.

 

The rules also require slaughterhouses to have proper processing equipment, meat storage facilities, transport arrangements and waste disposal sites.

 

Concerns on hygiene practices at slaughterhouse has been heightened since 2005, when a bacteria contracted from hog slaughtering was linked to the deaths of nearly 40 people in Sichuan province.

 

The proposal comes the same day China issued strong promises to clean up its food industry, after international concerns were raised on its contaminated wheat gluten exports which killed thousands of pets and caused poisoned feed scares in the US.

 

China's food industry has also been sullied by international press reports alleging that its feed makers have been adding melamine, a possibly toxic substance, to animal feed to boost its protein content.

 

On top of that, it pig industry also has to contend with a slew of pig diseases.

 

About one million pigs have died from a variation of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus in an outbreak that began in May last year, according to market estimates.

 

China has not published official figures for pig deaths, and the Agriculture Ministry has declined comment.

 

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have identified the disease killing pigs in Guangdong province as a variation of the blue ear disease.