In light of reports that there may be donkey meat on the market, the St Catherine Public Health Department is seeking to assure consumers that detailed investigations are being carried out and steps being taken to ensure that such meat does not make it to our local markets.

This announcement comes after the heads of 10 donkeys, as well as several bags full of intestines, were discovered on a farm in Church Pen, Old Harbour, last Friday.

Anthony Thomas, chief public health inspector for St. Catherine told THE STAR that the health department was very concerned about the recent reports. He said, "Because of the latest reports, we have increased our vigilance within all meat-related establishments. We have our public health inspectors visiting them to determine the source of their meat supply."

He added that if the donkeys were indeed slaughtered for food purposes, the meat could not make it through the formal system. He said, "We have well-trained inspectors who can identify and differentiate that carcass from that of, say, a cow. A major identifying factor is that we know that animals from the equine family, including donkeys, have 18 pairs of ribs."

He told THE STAR that according to the public health meat inspection regulations and the public health butcher regulations, passed in 1989, no animal of the equine family is mentioned as a source of food.

The head of all animals, he added, must also be presented at the post-mortem inspection, and this he said, accounted for 30 per cent of the inspection.

Since the discovery, several consumers have expressed concern about the findings. One such consumer, Andy, told THE STAR, "This is scary and sickening. It is disgusting and I can bet the butcher people going to lose sales.

There are health implications all around. I was always very wary about where I eat, but now just makes it worse. I'll just go with chicken and fish, which are identifiable"

The health department is advising consumers to be very vigilant and to report any incident of illegal slaughtering. Thomas added, "We want members of the public to buy from reputable meat outlets and those that carry the public health certification. We'll continue to monitor the situation and consumers with further questions can call the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Health."