Commerce Ministry clears Cheiatou Brothers’ poisonous pork meat
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCD) has started a clearing exercise of 2,745 barrels of contaminated pork meat from the Cheiatou Brothers Inc.’s storehouse in Sayon Town, Bushrod Island.
According to a joint release from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MOCD), the clearing exercise comes after laboratory test results showed that samples from quarantined meat were contaminated.
“You were informed that we were able to quarantine 2,754 barrels of the pig feet that were brought into Liberia by the Cheiatou Brothers, located at Red Light. Samples of the suspected pig feet were taken to the National Standards Laboratory, and the test results showed that majority of the samples of the pig meat submitted for testing were contaminated with Salmonella SPP,” the release states.
The release further that the European Union (EU) issued an alert to the Liberian government that a company was importing a consignment of contaminated pig feet from Europe.
“We wish to re-state that our decision to quarantine the pig meat was based on an earlier alert issued by the European Union to the Ministry of Health that a business house in Liberia was bringing in a consignment of contaminated pig-feet from a slaughterhouse located in Europe. The European Union’s surveillance on the pig meat showed that it contained salmonella poison,” the release says.
Jacob N.B Parley, Communication Director at MOCD, says the clearing exercise started Friday, March 31, at Cheiatou Brothers Inc.’s storehouse in Sayon Town, Bushrod Island, and the consignment is being transported to the Wein Town Dumpsite in the FDA Community in Paynesville.
“Between Friday and Saturday, we disposed 1,485 barrels. Yesterday [Monday] we dumped 909 barrels. The exercise is expected to finish today” he says to AgriGrind.
Commerce Inspector General, Madam Josephine Davies, reiterates the Liberian government’s commitment to protecting consumer interest through fair and healthy practices in the business sector.
“In as much as government welcomes an open and participatory market, it will not equally condone harmful business practices in the country,” she wrote.
