Dar es Salaam abattoir set for total overhaul

Dar es Salaam. Efficiency at the new Vingunguti Abattoir is likely to increase the number of slaughtered cattle, sheep and goats by 100 per cent, it has been said.
The Sh12.5 billion abattoir modernisation project is expected to be completed in December and upon its launch  20 to 30 cattle and up to 50 goats will be slaughtered per hour.
Project manager Mburuga Matamwe told The Citizen that upon completion of renovation of the abattoir, the time for slaughtering a cow will be cut to two minutes from the current 15 to 30 minutes. “This include slaughtering, skinning, wastes collection as well as removing horns and hoofs,” he said.

Upon completion, he said, the abattoir will have the capacity of slaughtering 1,000 cattle a day from the current average of 500 cattle, while 500 goats will be slaughtered, a jump by 100 per cent as well. 

National Housing Corporation (NHC) is the contractor of the project.  He added: “The facility will be operating day and night, with two shifts of eight hours each, slaughtering 500 cattle and 250 goat and sheep per shift,” he said. He said the facility is designed with a set of electrical and pneumatic live killing machines for cattle, goats and sheep, taking only three to five seconds to cut a single animal.  There will also be a bleeding area, which will control spillage through automatic conveyors.

According to him, it will take eight to 10 minutes for cattle to bleed, and less for goats and sheep. “The current abattoir has no bleeding unit. The blood is always left on the floor, which is bad healthwise,” he said. The new facility will consist of two blood collection tanks with a total of 3.6 cubic metres and a waste collection section.

According to him, wastes section facility has a capacity of keeping 840 tonnes of blood, water and other wastes. There will also be scissors for removing horns and hooves of the animals, which will take barely four seconds.