The government has stepped up efforts to prevent the slaughter of sick animals and the sale of uninspected meat to consumers.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Ministry of Health and Child Care and local authorities, has upgraded an operation code-named, “Nyama Yabvepi”, which, loosely translated means “Where Did the meat come from?”.
In a statement on Monday read on his behalf by his Permanent Secretary Dr John Bhasera, Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri said:
Following shocking postings on social media that abattoir operators, butcheries and supermarkets were selling uninspected meat derived from sick and dead animals, a team of veterinary public health officers carried out extensive investigations to verify the authenticity of the allegations.
The team could not find evidence to support the claims that meat derived from sick and dead cattle was entering the human food chain.
Shiri added that consumers should buy meat from reliable supermarkets and butcheries in and around urban centres countrywide to avoid eating uninspected meat.
The Department of Veterinary Services was working closely with the police to deal with unscrupulous retailers selling contaminated meat, and members of the public have been urged to report such retailers.