An attempt by the Ministry of Agriculture to clean up slaughterhouses has met with angry dissent from a group of vendors in Takeo province, who say a requirement to use new, private facilities is driving up the price of meat.
Takeo farmers are now required to use any of 21 slaughterhouses owned by a private company to butcher their meat before taking it to market—a change for many vendors, who until now have been farming and slaughtering their own hogs and cattle.
The debate came to a head earlier this month when armed police and health inspectors raided a Sai’ Va market in Prey Kabbas district, pulling meat from the shelves of vendors who were not using the licensed slaughterhouses.
Police and health officials stormed the market Feb 16 and Feb 17 and pulled about 650 kg of meat from shelves, vendors said. Only vendors who refused to “join” the Hoy Heang Slaughter House Co and pay its high fees for slaughter were affected, vendors said.
Vendors who had their meat confiscated blamed Hoy Heang company, which is the only licensed company in the province and is owned by RCAF General Kim Buon Heang.
“We want the government to reject this limited company,” said Pok Khon, a vendor at Sai’ Va market. “If not we will come over to Phnom Penh and demonstrate in front of the National Assembly.”
The new policy has raised the price of pork, for example, from 5,000 riel (about $1.25) per kg to 8,000 riel (about $2) per kg, said one vendor, who asked not to be named.
“We don’t think poor villagers in the province would have enough money to buy pork and beef to eat,” the vendor said.
Hoy Heang charges 9,000 riel (about $2.40) to slaughter a pig.
“If we paid the state as normal, we made 7,000 riel [about $1.75] to 10,000 riel [about $2.50] per day. If we paid 9,000 riel to [Hoy Heang], we would only make 1,000 riel (about $0.25) per day,” said one Sai’ Va vendor. Added over the course of a year, she said, there is nearly a $600 per year difference.
Ing Hoc Lim, director general of the inspection department for the Ministry of Agriculture, disagrees.
Most meat vendors who slaughter their animals at home still must pay a 3,000 riel (about $0.75) tax directly to provincial authorities. On top of that, they must pay their own utilities and face illegal checkpoints as they transport the meat.
By using a licensed, centralized slaughterhouse, they save costs to themselves and headaches for local animal inspectors, Ing Hoc Lim said.
“This is a better system for better conditions,” he said.
In the past, animal health inspectors faced the impossible task of traveling from farm to farm to check hogs and cattle for diseases, he said.
Most vendors have agreed to the new policy, he added.
