The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, indicated that the control operations carried out within the framework of the local joint commissions made it possible to seize 420 heads of sheep and goats in the villages and to destroy 260 tonnes (T) of poultry waste.
Speaking on Tuesday during the oral question session in the House of Councillors, Sadiki revealed that these operations also resulted in the destruction of 100 liters, 900 tablets and 192 bags of unauthorized veterinary drugs.
Some 14 infringement cases have been submitted to the public prosecutor’s office, including 5 cases relating to the transport of poultry waste and 9 others relating to the sale of unauthorised veterinary drugs. These operations, he continued, also led to the withdrawal of the health authorization of a livestock fodder production unit in the Casablanca-Settat region for non-compliance with health safety conditions.
The Minister underlined that the intensive control operations are continuing and have been reinforced in the run-up to Eid al-Adha by mobilizing the services of the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA), local authorities and the Royal Gendarmerie, via a joint patrol with the Minister of the Interior, specifying that “vigilance” will continue until the day of Eid.
In this context, he said that ONSSA had started the implementation of a communication program to educate consumers on the conditions for acquiring cattle intended for sacrifice and to provide them with the necessary advice related to the preparation of the livestock to sacrifice and preservation of meat, in addition to the permanence of veterinary services during the Eid period.
During the day of the festival and the following days, the Office will mobilize all the veterinary doctors and technicians to ensure the permanence at the national level in order to communicate with the citizens and accompany them if necessary.