Kathmandu, October 4

The Office Kathmandu Metropolitan City in association with District Administration Office, District Veterinary Office, the police and other stakeholders has started monitoring goats and sheep kept for sale for Dashain.

The monitoring teams comprising health experts conduct medical check-up of goats and sheep meant for meat consumption. According to the KMC, medical teams have been deployed to major livestock markets of Kalanki, Balaju, Bijuli Bazaar, Koteshwor and Tukucha.

These are open spaces designated by the KMC for sale and purchase of goats and sheep.

The officials will make traders display and sell goats and sheep in a systematic way. The horns of unhealthy goats and sheep will be painted red and those of healthy ones will be painted blue by the health inspection teams. The traders will be made to keep goats and sheep whose horns are painted red separately.

They may sell them to consumers after they are deemed healthy after treatment.

The medical check-up of goats and sheep will be conducted in two shifts — from 7:00 am to 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm to 6:00 pm — throughout Dashain. KMC said the monitoring team will work till the day of Fulpati.

Nearly 55,000 goats have already arrived in the capital for Dashain from Tibet and India, according to KMC. These include mountain goats and sheep from Tibet and ordinary goats from India. Domestic production meets 70 per cent of the demand for goats during Dashain, said KMC officials.

KMC and food inspectors have also stepped up monitoring of slaughterhouses and meat shops to ensure sale and distribution of healthy meat.

If any defect or disease is found in the meat of slaughtered animal upon examination, the meat Inspector may partially or completely prohibit the sale or distribution of such meat as per the Animal Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act-1999.

According to Market-led Quality Meat Production and Processing Study conducted by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2010, average per capita consumption of meat in Kathmandu is 16 kg.