The Central Market area in Doha saw a huge turnout of customers early morning on the first and second day of Eid al-Adha as many people were keen to purchase their sacrificial animals and slaughter them at the slaughterhouses of the market.
Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday the market saw a big crowd of people immediately after the Eid prayers, who were keen to follow the original religious rites in this regard and as part of the family traditions of the region. The issue is also considered one of the most joyous events of Eid for all family members. In the meantime, police and traffic patrols intensified their presence around the area, in particular at the entry and exit points, to maintain smooth traffic.
Around 200 butchers and 24 veterinarians have been undertaking the work at Widam slaughterhouses at the Central Market to cater for the huge customer demand at these days. They work in continuous shifts for 14 hours, which enabled them to slaughter around 400 animals an hour on the first day of Eid, according to Ali Mohamed Shaikhan, head of the meat unit at Doha Municipality.
He also stressed that people should not try to slaughter their sacrificial animals outside the authorised slaughterhouses through the services of unlicensed butchers to avoid any potential infectious diseases. Besides, at the slaughterhouse, veterinarians make sure that the animal is healthy and safe for human consumption, in addition to the high standards of hygiene followed throughout the whole process until the customers receive their meat.
Many customers agreed that slaughtering outside the slaughterhouse is no longer accepted due to the involved environmental and health risks.
Mohamed Awad, an Arab customer, said that inexperienced people could easily detect the physical and apparent defects of the animal, but it is hard for them to detect the health situation of the animal and whether it is infected with some disease. Accordingly, slaughtering the animal at the designated places is the safest option.
Similarly, Mubarak Abdulla, another customer, highly appreciated the efforts of both Widam Food Company and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment in providing people with such a timely and high-quality services, which saves people time and effort. In addition, resorting to the services of the unlicensed butchers, which some do to avoid waiting for some time, is not a wise option as it could have unwanted consequences.