BUJUMBURA July 8th (ABP) – On the occasion of the Aid El Adha feast, the government of Burundi, via the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, has just granted special permission to Muslims to slaughter animals in this period of animal health crisis caused by Rift Valley fever which has declared itself in Burundi since April 2022. This was indicated in a press release by the director general of Livestock, Mr. Serges Nkurunziza, during a press briefing held on Wednesday July 6, 2022.
According to him, the permission was allowed by the fact that the Muslims insistently begged and explained that this feast cannot be celebrated without sacrifice.
He indicated however that this special exemption was granted to the Islamic community of Burundi subject to conditions which must be absolutely respected in order to avoid the spread of this virulent and still active disease in the country.
The collection of slaughter animals has already started on July 1 and will continue until July 8, then will follow the slaughter, from July 9 to July 12.
The activities of purchase and assembly of animals will have to be done in identified quarantine sites, this must be done in strict collaboration between the Islamic community of Burundi, (COMIBU), the administrative officials at the provincial level and the directors of the provincial offices of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock (BPEAE). Purchased animals must be well identified by appropriate marking to avoid slippage.
The ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection must be carried out systematically for each animal by the ministry’s veterinary technicians and the meat from those slaughtered animals will be cooked in Muslim households.
Slaughter must be carried out in known slaughterhouses or in other pre-identified slaughter sites in collaboration with the BPEAE and the administration.
After slaughter, the remains of the animals will be buried directly and the slaughter sites will be subject to appropriate cleaning and disinfection by the veterinary services, at COMIBU’s expense. Animals showing signs of any disease will not be slaughtered and will remain in quarantine under treatment.
The Ministry in charge of Livestock calls on COMIBU officials at the level of each province, the governors and the police to ensure strict compliance with those conditions. He congratulated the administration, the people and the security services for the collaboration in respecting the measures put in place to deal with the epizootic.