Gaspard, who is in charge of animal product quality at RICA, says that medicines given to animals do not last for the same amount of time.
He says, “Every medicine has a disease it treats, its own name, instructions for use, and specific guidelines regarding the withdrawal period it must stay in the meat or in the milk.”
Gaspard continues by sending a message to Veterinarians who treat animals, noting it is their responsibility as professionals.
He says, “If they treat an animal for a farmer, it is necessary to tell them the period the medicine will stay in the system before that animal is slaughtered, or before drinking the milk or consuming the eggs; it is better for poultry farmers to act this way because prevention is better than cure.”
He says, “You see, if a chicken is 30 days old and you give it a medicine that stays for 5 days on that 30th day, it will face consequences until the time of slaughter while the drug is still in it; the best thing is for them to prevent disease rather than seeking treatment.”
He continues to talk about people who slaughter animals in their homes while selling them illegally, where he mentions the measures RICA has, including conducting awareness campaigns.
He says, “In December of last year, we conducted an awareness campaign in collaboration with RDB and MINALOC where we met with meat sellers, hotels, restaurants, and others who have bars and roasting centers.” He adds, “So we remind them again to respect the laws and regulations as required, to use meat that comes from known slaughterhouses that has been inspected by a certified veterinarian with a valid permit.”
He says, “It is difficult for everyone to build a slaughterhouse, but everyone can slaughter at a known slaughterhouse, and it is possible for them to join together to build a slaughterhouse and we can give them advice.”
Jean Marie Vianney Ndabarinze is an entrepreneur who has a slaughterhouse in Burera District. He says he used to slaughter chickens in a traditional way, which resulted in them being dirty to the point that authorities seized and destroyed them twice.
Currently, he has built a modern poultry slaughterhouse with the capacity to slaughter about 700 chickens coming from over 700 farmers in Burera and Musanze Districts.
Through the VIBE (Value Added Initiative to Boost Employment) program, he says he was provided with a veterinarian and a staff member who helps them improve quality.
He says, “It has helped us a lot and it is useful because chicken meat is eaten by many, and we are in a tourism area.”
Benitha Niyogisubizo is a Veterinarian who helps the slaughterhouse in Burera District to provide quality meat to the citizens after receiving training from RICA.
She says, “I thank the partners who prioritize the development of youth, and I am one of them.” Benitha says that this slaughterhouse works with many farmers and provides jobs to more than 20 people, including youth who found stable jobs as the activities expanded.
Jane Nyamvumba, an employee of the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), asks Rwandans to eat meat that meets quality standards.
She says, “There are those who slaughter in dirty places, those who slaughter privately, and those who want to set up laboratories that do not meet quality standards; all those exist. Since there are institutions responsible for giving permits, we ask them to approach us to get permits because the regulations and requirements are available whenever they approach the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), we will receive them.”
In the campaign called Vibe (Value Added Initiative to Boost Employment) being conducted by the Rwanda Standards Board in collaboration with other partners, they are reminding Rwandans to be cautious about the meat they eat and avoid eating meat that does not meet quality standards.
Statistics from RICA show that in slaughterhouses that have experts in inspection and quality, more than 10,000 cows, 80,000 chickens, 10,000 goats, and 50,000 pigs are slaughtered every month.
RICA says that 70% of animal diseases can affect humans; when people eat meat that has not been inspected, they face the risk of contracting the diseases that animals suffer from.
