Kandy butchers asked to use bolt gun

A foreign humanitarian group is to introduce what it calls a more humane method of slaughtering cattle.

The group held a discussion at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Peradeniya and a spokesman said they would hold a workshop for Kandy butchers to introduce the ‘bolt gun system’ which causes no pain to animals and does not reduce the nutrient value of the meat.

The group led later visited the slaughter house in Kandy. They said they were aghast at the method adopted by the butchers in slaughtering cattle, describing it as inhumane. They also deplored the manner in which cattle were brought in lorries to the slaughter house.

The local veterinarians who participated at the discussion were Dr. Neville Silva representing the Universtiy of Peradeniya and Kandy Municipal Veterinarian Dr. J.B.Jaysinghe.

The group presented a bolt gun to the said it would assist Veterinary Science faculty and said it was ready to help financially to improve the facilities of the Kandy slaughter house and other slaughter houses throughout the country, provided they used the bolt gun.