Initiative also sees first Meat Act passed

The Food and Agriculture Organization and Somali authorities have launched ‘Clean Meat’ campaign, funded by the European Union to raise awareness of meat safety in a country where livestock is the economic mainstay.

Each year thousands of people become ill while some die from a preventable disease as a result of poor handling of meat. Proper meat preparation can prevent many foodborne diseases. As part of its national strategy to decrease the burden of foodborne diseases, UN Agency and the Somali Ministry of livestock are working with meat businesses and newly created units to enforce the recently passed Meat Act to ensure all meat sold, cooked and eaten is safe. The first strand of the campaign focuses on the meat sector securing commitments from all stakeholder from lawmakers, government official to health officers acting as ambassadors for meat safety.

“As a country heavily dependent on livestock, meat safety is a key priority and that is why I have just issued a circular instructing all units, departments and partner ministries to immediately implement the recently passed Meat Act,” said Dr. Abdi Aw Dahir, Minister of livestock in Somaliland while addressing a joint press conference.

The ‘Clean Meat’ campaign is the final part of a 2 million Euro funding from the European Union aimed at boosting the booming Somali livestock sector. Under this initiative, 24 professional meat inspectors have been trained and a quality assurance system developed.

“This is only the beginning of a long road in development of a fully fledged meat safety system that does not only enhance public health but also boost local and international trade,” said Luca Alinovi FAO’s head in Somalia.

The campaign highlights the measures being undertaken to minimize the risk of food safety incidents occurring along the meat value chain from the. Isabel Faria de Almeida, Head of Section Rural Development, Social Services and Infrastructure at the EU said: “One of the long term objectives is to see Somali people not only eating healthy meat but starting to export meat to the international markets instead of live animals.”