An abattoir is a well-planned and equipped facility where animals are slaughtered. A slaughter slab is a simple facility set up for slaughtering animals.
For years, Uganda had no pig abattoir until recently, when Mbizzi Abattoir was launched in Matugga about two years ago.
However, there are several pig slaughter slabs or mini abattoirs scattered around the country, led by Wambizzi Cooperative in Nalukolongo.
These have been resourceful in preparing the largest percentage of pork consumed in Kampala and other parts of the country. Many of these are still challenged by hygiene and quality control strategies.
A complete abattoir must include a butcher. Unlike the traditional butchering of pork practised around the country, modern pork production demands specialised butchering. This enables categorisation and, therefore, price differentiation for different pork cuts.
A slaughter slab is a simple facility set up for slaughtering animals. (Courtesy photos)
“I emphasise the establishment of pig slaughter slab businesses instead of abattoirs. This is because an abattoir requires a huge investment in terms of structures and equipment to set up. Where pork is being slaughtered or processed for export, you can hire the services of an abattoir to enable you to meet export standards,” says Mulindwa.
What do you need to set up a pig abattoir/slaughter slab?
- An Environmental Impact Assessment from the National Environment Management Authority (mainly for abattoirs)
- Approved construction plans (For an abattoir, but sometimes slaughter slabs too)
- Equipment (Abattoirs need a long list of equipment). Slaughter slabs require nothing more than pangas, Knives, hooks, tables and freezers.
- A public meat inspector
- Structures (An abattoir needs a strong and big structure that can support several pork preparation processes:- Stunning, de-hairing, splitting, cold rooms, butchering, etc). These may be or may not be necessary in a slaughter slab. A simple structure with a shade, a cemented or tiled platform and proper drainage setups for both blood and water is enough.
Abattoir/slaughter slab operation
The pig abattoir business can generate income in three different ways:-
– Supplying pork to restaurants/joints and pork butchers
– Supplying your own Pork restaurant/joints
-Providing pig slaughtering services to other farmers. A farmer pays sh15,000-sh20,000 per slaughtered pig. If 50 pigs are slaughtered, that is about sh1m earned for the abattoir.
The writer is a pig farming entrepreneur.
