The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has closed temporarily the donkey abattoir at Ibadakuli in Shinyanga Municipality and is intending to altogether close donkey slaughter activities at the facility. A letter released by the ministry last week and addressed to the Fang Hua Investment Co. Limited noted that it was not pleased with the way the facility operates, hence decided to revoke the provisional permit dated April 30th this year that allowed the company to slaughter donkeys.
"You are not allowed to receive donkeys at the facility; instead you are graced with a period of one week starting August 14th this year, to slaughter all donkeys already received at the factory for the sake of avoiding suffering," reads the letter that was signed for the Ministry's Permanent Secretary by Dr. Benezeth Malinda. The Ministry noted that a special task force will go to Shinyanga and investigate the whole issue, using the available information from different government sources and prepare a report that will be the base of final decision regarding the existence of the slaughter facility at Ibadakuli in Shinyanga Municipality.
The Ministry also said it would send inspectors to supervise and make sure that the instructions are being adhered to. A report submitted to the Ministry by inspection teams at the facility highlighted that operations were contrary to the agreed directives set by the Ministry, as stipulated in the provisional permit letter, government laws and regulations governing animal welfare, humane slaughter and abattoir hygiene.
As per the letter, some of the cases found include slaughtering more than the number (20) of donkeys agreed per day; donkeys being slaughtered cruelly contrary to Animal Welfare Act Cap 154. Others are that animals are being transported for long distances in trucks, sustaining injuries during loading and on the way.
It was agreed that a donkey nucleus farm and Nucleus Breeding Scheme (NBS) as well as improved donkey production management programmes would be set up. Those were promised in the action plan document presented by the company to the ministry way back in 2017. Speaking from Shinyanga, the Veterinary Officer in-Charge of the abattoir, Dr. Isaya Gabriel said the government's order has been adhered to with closure of the abattoir and that the company was working to see that all shortcomings highlighted by the Ministry are worked out.
He said the stakeholders were also waiting for the special team that would be sent at the facility. Speaking on the move, Arusha Association for Protection of Animals (ASPA) Managing Director, Mr. Livingstone Masija hailed the move and called for the Ministry to close donkey slaughtering activities throughout the country. He said the decision would be helpful in saving the donkeys as the working resources, especially in pastoralist communities as well as in arid and semi-arid regions of the country.
He said that one donkey is sold to abattoirs for about only 200,000/- mostly for export while per day it could work and earn the owner between 20,000/- and 50,000/-, amount that could accrue to a lot of money.