To assist in proper identification of animals so that their meat is handed over to their rightful owners, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has approved installation of a radio frequency identification device at its mechanised slaughter house in Ghazipur here.
The proposal was passed at a meeting of the MCD Standing Committee on Wednesday.
“This will help in avoiding a mix-up of halal and jhatka goats, while ensuring that the owners get back their own animals. The RFID, which will be tagged to the front leg of the goat or sheep, will act like a bar code and have details about the animals as well as their owners. The name of the owner, weight and age of the animal, and also whether it is meant for jhatka or halal slaughter will be mentioned in the chip,” said an MCD official.
According to the MCD, the civic body has been receiving complaints that jhatka and halal meats are often mixed together and this could hurt the religious sentiments of some communities.
“Though the gates for jhatka and halal slaughter houses are separate, we have received complaints that jhatka and halal meats get mixed up. Butchers who have been bringing their animals for slaughter here have also complained that their healthy animals are being exchanged with unhealthy ones,” the official added.
“If the details on the RFID chip indicate that a goat is to be slaughtered in the halal section and if by any chance it goes to the jhatka section, the gate will not allow the animal to pass and it will be carried to the section mentioned in the RFID chip. The chip will also ensure that only animals which are fit to be slaughtered will be accepted. In case a goat is underweight, less than three months of age or unhealthy, the chip will not take the animal into the slaughtering unit,” he added.
