We can’t compromise food safety!!

The Ghanaian public should take it as a serious matter the position taken by the Veterinary Services Direc­torate (VSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) that it cannot guarantee the safety of most animal products on the markets and that members of the public have to take responsibil­ity for the animal products they consume in order to protect their health.

By this time, that story we pub­lished yesterday has engaged the attention of the government.

Why should a government agency charged with the respon­sibility of ensuring food safety, thereby safeguarding the health of the people, take this position?

It is as if the officials of the VSD are shirking their respon­sibility and anyone who would entertain that thought would be very unfair to these public servants.

It is sad to hear the constraints they are going through.

Why should the authority for animal health and veterinary pub­lic health be constrained in terms of finances, human resource, and logistics among others?

Why do the police refuse to en­force the law when VSD officers on the ground are physically abused, obviously by butchers who do not want to be queried about the unhealthy practices they engage in as they ply their trade?

Is the VSD right or just being speculative when it says the po­lice fail to show full cooperation to enforce the law on occasions VSD officers are physically abused because some of these butchers have political backing?

We do not support the idea of closing down slaughter houses but we believe in enforcing the law to ensure the right thing is done.

The whole thing is about food safety and, for that matter, the health of the people and all the implications.

We want to believe that it has taken the VSD some time and some pressure to go public with all the constraints it is going through.

Now that everything is let out, it is up to the government to prove its commitment to priori­tise public health by going to the aid of the VSD for it to discharge its duties as expected.

Otherwise, by what means can the members of the public ascertain the safety of the animal products they consume?

It beats one’s imagination from where butchers would have the audacity to physically assault public officials discharging their duties in the interest of the country.

Clearly, the behaviour of the erring butchers smacks of self-centredness and parochial interest and needs to be checked with all the force it deserves.

Looking at certain violent go­ings-on in the country, we think the government must be more serious about law enforcement in every sphere of life and sanction the culprits.

Why should butchers, galam­seyers, some drivers and certain political functionaries offend the law, dare the police and go scot-free?

Without any malice, the Gha­naian Times wishes to state the re­fusal of any government to check lawlessness in any form or shape is a serious blot on its image.

Therefore, the government should view all manner of criminal acts as having serious ramification for the future of the country and check them.

As we say this, we wish to state that we have not deviated from the issues raised by the VSD.

As such, we appeal to the gov­ernment to give urgent attention to resolving its problems for it to work fully to check the food value chain in its bid to safeguard the health of the people.

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