By U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Katherine Roling
The Ghazni Agribusiness Development Team, made up of members from the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard, inspected the Ghazni Slaughter and Livestock Sales facilities in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, and confirmed the facilities were adequately secured by Afghan national security forces April 13.
What they found was an up and running slaughterhouse near Sham Village that was able to provide for the local Afghans. The growing population of a bustling village, however, shed light on the need for a larger slaughterhouse to accommodate bigger animals to fit through the door. Otherwise, they do the slaughter outside.
The facility, built by the Texas ADT, is an improvement from previous years, because it offers Afghans a chance to focus their efforts in an area away from the city.
"It is better than what did exist," said U.S. Army 1st Lt. David Inbody, Texas ADT hydrologist from College Station, Texas. "People would bring their animals to the butcher's shop, and the butcher would slaughter the animal right there on the street. It's a step in the right direction, and we hope to get them a bigger facility to bring in cattle."
Currently, local Afghans are too worried to leave their animals overnight at the livestock sales facility the Texas ADT built near the slaughterhouse for fear of theft, and so the butchers must buy the animals in the market and bring them to the slaughterhouse. The ADT hopes to coordinate with the ANP to bring their checkpoint closer to the slaughterhouse and pump up security so a more efficient process can ensue.
Completed in 2009, the slaughterhouse kills sheep, goats, cows and sometimes camels. It is an open building that allows the butchers to perform slaughter in a culturally proper manner.
In addition to the butchers, employed by the government, who work at the facility, there are veterinarians who are employed by the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.
"Four veterinarians are trained to do pre- and post-mortem checks on the animals to check for disease," said U.S. Army Capt. John Syer, Texas ADT agricultural engineer from Austin, Texas.
Sayd Mohammad Akbar, a veterinarian who graduated from Kabul University, checks all animals for any diseases that could cause illnesses in humans.
"I look for brucellosis, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, and hoof and mouth disease, making sure that the meat doesn't make it into the bazaar," said Akbar.
Along with improving the sanitary conditions on the local streets, the slaughterhouse project also gives the 50 to 60 local butchers from the local butcher's association in Ghazni a chance to earn a steady income.
"The facility earns 20 Afghanis per cow and 10 Afghanis per sheep or goat. About 50 cattle and 30 to 50 sheep and goats come through a day," said Syer. "Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are their busiest days."
Moreover, the stomachs of the sheep and cows house undigested straw, which is sold to farmers as fertilizer. Some stomachs are sold to Pakistan and China where they are used for medicinal purposes.
Despite the security situation, there were unexpected guardians at the slaughterhouse. A few dogs, attracted by the smell of the meat, lingered at a distance from the facility. While they were not welcomed at the facility, they brought an extra form of security to the slaughterhouse.
In fact, the butchers claimed that the dogs would chase away any insurgent forces out to cause trouble.
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2010 09:27 |
| Story ID: | 48226 |
| Location: | GHAZNI, AF |
| Web Views: | 294 |
| Downloads: | 176 |
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