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47
The slaughtering takes place at all hours of the day and
night. It will thus be seen how difficult it is, owing to the
limited time of the Inspectors, to supervise and inspect the meat.
Surprise visits are paid and meat seized and condemned.
Unfortunately we have no power to close existing slaughterhouses.
Most of the present slaughter-houses are structurally
unfitted for such use, and in most cases it is impossible to maintain
them in a sanitary condition.
To obtain a pure meat supply the provision of a Public
Abattoir should be made.
This would provide the best of opportunities for inspecting all
meat at the time of or immediately after slaughtering.
A stamped certificate from the Meat Inspector could then be
given to the butcher.
In a number of cases when the Inspector visits a slaughterhouse,
carcases found to be Tubercular are voluntarily surrendered,
but it will be seen how from ignorance or otherwise of the
pathological condition the meat may be dressed and freed from
all signs of disease for human consumption.
In most of the present slaughter-houses the want of space
renders it well-nigh impossible to slaughter under proper conditions.
The following are a few of the many advantages of a
Municipal Abattoir:—Methods of slaughtering. Official supervision
of slaughtering.
The manner in which animals are sometimes slaughtered in
private slaughter-houses may amount to systematic cruelty which
could not exist in a public slaughter-house.
Under supervision and inspection the humane slaughtering
of animals could be insisted upon.
I have seen children at doors of private slaughter-houses
watching animals being killed, which I consider is very
objectionable.