DUMAGUETE CITY -- A long-overdue rehabilitation project to upgrade the slaughterhouse here is now underway with an initial budget of PHP4 million, a city government official said.
The slaughterhouse has not renewed its accreditation with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) as a Double A facility for so many years due to additional and tedious requirements as well as the deterioration of machinery and other equipment over time, Engr. Jose Ronnie Fortin of the City Economic Enterprise Office, said on Monday.
Although the initial budget is not enough for the slaughterhouse to be accredited with the NMIS, at least the facility will be more decent with better storage areas and improved hygiene for meat processing, he said.
The ongoing rehabilitation includes the replacement of the old roof, flooring, screens, and walls.
Fortin said the slaughterhouse can accommodate and process an average of 200 heads of hogs, 30 heads of goats and 20 large animals such as cows, carabaos and horses daily.
The city slaughterhouse was previously accredited in the late 1990s as a Double A facility, and had even received awards for seven consecutive years as Outstanding Meat Establishment in the Philippines, he said.
But afterward, there were additional amendments in the requirements for the Double A standards, thus the city had given up with its NMIS accreditation.
Fortin said the city slaughterhouse was not actually “downgraded” because this would mean the accreditation was from Double A to Single A.
Instead, after the city failed to comply with the requirements of NMIS, it lost its Double A accreditation. Since the city has a mechanized slaughterhouse, it would rather aim for Double A accreditation this time, he added.
A Double A accreditation would mean that meat products processed from the city slaughterhouse may be delivered from Dumaguete to other places in the country.
Fortin said the city government needs to spend about PHP13 million to comply with the NMIS requirements for Double A accreditation. (PNA)
