Two years and five months after a crane crashed into the city’s abattoir on Water Street, no slaughtering is occurring there and this has severely inconvenienced butchers and citizens.
The main activity occurring at the abattoir now is the inspection and stamping of slaughtered meat. Butcher shops around Georgetown now have to go to abattoirs at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara; Plaisance, East Coast Demerara and Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara to have animals slaughtered. Thereafter, they must travel to Water Street to have the meat inspected and stamped. This process is time-consuming and costly.
On February 27, 2020, a crane belonging to John Fernandes Limited fell onto a section of the roof of the abattoir. The incident resulted in the roof, walls and windows of the kitchen area being damaged along with the roof of the slaughtering chambers. Slaughtering has since not occurred there.
A butcher at the Stabroek Market on Wednesday told this newspaper that they now have to go to Diamond or on the West Coast Demerara for the slaughtering of animals. The woman who wished to remain anonymous stated that the process takes an entire day most of the time because after leaving the abattoir they have to transport the meat to the Water Street abattoir for it to be checked and stamped.
Another butcher in the Stabroek Market who wished to remain anonymous stated that, “it is very hard, it takes a whole day to do the run-around, and it’s more money and transportation. I wish if we can get back an abattoir right in Georgetown here. Sometimes to go over the Demerara Bridge then come over back it’s nuff work.”
Repairs to the Water Street abattoir were completed in July of 2021 after which the Mayor Ubraj Narine made an announcement about plans to relocate it. It is unclear why the repairs did not lead to the restoration of slaughtering. In an interview with Stabroek News a month ago, the Mayor reiterated that the abattoir is to be relocated and that the matter is presently at committee level of the council. The location of the new abattoir is yet to be decided.
City Engineer, Colvern Venture yesterday confirmed to Stabroek News that the location for the new abattoir is still to be determined and a proposal has not yet materialised.
At a statutory City Council meeting at the Kitty Market last week, Narine criticized officers for not giving up-to-date information about work being done in the city. He also stated he would ask for information and sometimes have to go through a long process before receiving it.
Stabroek News made attempts yesterday to elicit a comment from the acting Town Clerk on the abattoir but was told by a staffer that they could not give out any information. When Stabroek News spoke again yesterday with Narine he stated that the council is doing the same thing to him and when he requests information they are hesitant to provide it. “It’s the same thing I am going through with them, when I ask the Town Clerk for information, they get me on today, tomorrow, next week”, he lamented.
Narine had announced a year ago that the abattoir would be moved to another location. This announcement was made shortly after the crane had fallen on the building. John Fernandes had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the city for the repair works. (Shuntel Glasgow)
