The illegal activities of some meat dealers in Cebu City by forcing the animals to drink a lot of water just to gain more weight is slowly coming back.
This according to city veterinarian Alice Utlang who issued an alert order to meat inspectors assigned at the city’s slaughterhouse in the North Reclamation Area to be on alert.
The other day, Utlang personally ordered the condemnation of a horse and prohibition of its slaughter after the animal died even before it reached the butchers’ room.
The animal could no longer walk because it had swallowed too much water. It later died and meat inspectors inspected it.
There is an existing city ordinance that bans the use of tingal or oral forced drenching.
Tingal is the act of forcing water through the mouth of an animal for slaughter to increase the body weight and result in bloating and suffocation.
It was stated in the ordinance that any animal subjected to tingal can be identified because it cannot walk well. — Rene U. Borromeo/BRP