Goa abattoir fails to restart as stunning gun develops snags

Goa's sole abattoir, which has been shut since October last year, could not restart after a new stunning gun, used as part of the animal slaughtering protocol, developed snags.

The state's abattoir, called the Goa Meat Complex Limited (GMCL), is located at Usgao village.

"The GMCL authorities yesterday asked us to bring animals for slaughtering as they had purchased a new stunning gun which is part of the slaughtering protocol. But when we got the animals, properly certified, for slaughter, we were told that the stunning gun had developed a technical snag," Quraishi Meat Traders Association of Goa (QMTAG) president Manna Bepari told PTI today.

He said that the animals had to be then taken back.

He said that non-functioning of the abattoir since October last year was resulting in a shortage of beef in Goa.

"The actual requirement of beef in Goa is to the tune of 20-25 tonnes per day which can be met only if the state government-run GMCL starts functioning," Bepari said.

He said that logistical issues in bringing beef from neighbouring Karnataka meant that only about 10-12 tonnes could be brought in every day.

"Traders bring only about 10-12 tonnes of beef every day from Karnataka due to logistical issues. That does not fulfil the market requirements, forcing us to shut our shops by afternoon," he rued.

The QMTAG has around 70 beef traders registered with it.

He said that the state's tourism industry was also hit as beef was a regular raw material for restaurants.

Traders also alleged that some NGOs, working in the field of cow protection, were unnecessarily harassing them despite the presence of valid documents for all the animals.