Narail gets new Tk 100mn slaughterhouse. But authorities don’t know how to run it

A slaughterhouse built at a cost of nearly Tk 100 million has been handed over to Narail Municipality, but officials have yet to work out how to run it.

The municipal authority says it will decide on operations only after receiving government instructions.

Built on 50 decimals of land in the town's Mohishkhola Mouza, the facility can slaughter and process eight to 10 cattle and 15 to 20 goats or sheep an hour, according to municipality Administrator Md Nazmul Huda.

“The municipal authority has taken charge of the modern slaughterhouse. We're not sure yet how it needs to be run. Once we get government instructions, we'll operate it accordingly.”

The facility was handed over to the municipality on Jun 24, Narail District Livestock Officer Rashedul Haque said.

He said construction began in 2024 under a fisheries and livestock ministry project funded by the World Bank and was completed this year after several extensions to the deadline.

The slaughterhouse was built to stop indiscriminate animal slaughter, reduce environmental pollution and ensure residents get hygienic meat, he added.

"Operations haven't started yet as staff haven't been recruited. Once the municipality hires people, the livestock department will train them," he said.

Under the rules, the facility must be run through a third party, the official said.

Once operational, a livestock veterinarian will examine animals before slaughter, with only those passing the health check cleared for processing. The meat will then carry the municipality's seal.

But meat traders are reluctant to use the facility, arguing that slaughtering animals there would cost them more in both time and money.

Meat trader Touhidur Rahman said it currently took 20 to 30 minutes and cost between Tk 200 and Tk 400 to slaughter a cow and get the meat to his shop. 

Using the facility, he said, would push that cost up to between Tk 1,200 and Tk 1,500.

Another trader, Mohidur Rahman, said Narail saw an average of three to five cattle and 10 to 15 goats slaughtered daily. 

“If the facility's running costs fell on traders, staying in business would become difficult,” he added.