A lack of understanding about hygiene by slaughterhouse workers increases the risk of bacterial cross contaminationCredit: Envato Elements / Kapusnak
Livestock production is one of the key agricultural sectors affecting food and nutrition security in Sub-Saharan Africa. But a study, in southeast Nigeria, found poor sanitary conditions in slaughterhouses and unhygienic meat processing practices by workers are driving the spread of zoonotic diseases, harming animal welfare, and causing economic losses.
Published in Plos One, the study outlined activities such as the processing of carcasses on uncovered ground, and washing meat with water from gutters, whose effluents were directed into nearby sources of drinking water. It also described the moving of processed meats to shops and markets on tricycles and open vans used for public transport, and meat swarmed by flies being handled by potential buyers.
The research team, from Nigeria and South Africa, said the findings were a snapshot of the situation across sub-Saharan Africa. According to a WHO analysis, Africa experienced a 63% increase in zoonotic outbreaks between 2012 and 2022 with zoonotic pathogens representing half of public health concerns in the continent. Ishmael Festus Jaja, a co-author of the study from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa, says a lack of understanding about hygiene by slaughterhouse workers increases the risk of bacterial cross contamination.
“Meat borne diseases associated with resistant bacteria often lead to treatment failure, prolonged hospitalization, and death,” Jaja says.
Poor sanitary conditions of slaughterhouses and condemnation of meats because of disease conditions has been reported in Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania. A cross-sectional study of three major slaughterhouses in Kenya found that 67% of slaughtered cattle had one or more organs deemed unsafe, with parasitic infestations being the main causes.
In a report published in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Achollah Argwings, at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Livestock and Fisheries, in Siaya, Kenya, said that parasitic and bacterial conditions coupled with poor slaughtering techniques led to the loss of edible organs for consumers, causing financial losses to farmers, as well as posing a zoonotic risk.
“The abattoir plays a vital role to safeguard the quality of meat produced and processed for human consumption,” Jaja told Nature Africa.
According to Jaja, in South Africa, farmers should be compensated for meat condemned due to zoonosis, but this rarely occurs, discouraging communal farmers from transporting animals to the abattoir for slaughter.
“Most rural farmers prefer to slaughter at home, exposing consumers to unsafe meat. The situation regarding implementing meat safety laws in many African countries is far worse than previously described,” he said.
He called for provision of basic amenities, particularly potable water, in slaughter facilities, and improvement of sanitation through prompt waste collection, treatment and disposal.
The study’s authors also call for training of slaughterhouse workers in hygienic practices and knowledge of transmission modes of meat-borne zoonotic pathogens.
