WESTERN BUREAU – The St James Health Department has distanced itself from the continued closure of the Montego Bay abattoir, saying it had given permission, months ago for the facility to be reopened after health concerns were addressed.

The problem, according to Chief Public Health Inspector for St James Desmond Clarke, stems from a failure to have the slaughterhouse’s sewerage pipes connected to the National Water Commission’s (NWC’s) grid.

“I am really disappointed that it has not been connected to the municipal grid completely, because it has been some time now that we have actually done our site visit,” he said. “We were looking at the criteria set by the Northcoast Wastewater, in writing, and they have met all those criteria, so we were satisfied that they were ready to be connected, only to realise that there was some other problems.”

One of the main reasons cited for the delayed opening of the facility was the dualisation of the Howard Cooke Boulevard as the roadwork had to be completed before the connection of the pipes to the city’s wastewater grid. The boulevard was officially completed in July, but there has been no move to have the abattoir reopened.

The facility has been closed for more than a year and the protracted delay has the health department worried.

“The honest truth about that is we were looking for a much shorter time-frame,” said Clarke, who added that the St James Parish Council, which has responsibility for the abattoir, had missed a number of reopening dates.

Satellite slaughterhouses were established across the city after the municipal facility was ordered closed. But because of the limited number of these alternative locations, some butchers have opted to slaughter animals elsewhere, resulting in some of them being arrested and charged by the police and eventually fined by the courts.

According to Public and Community Relations Officer at the St James Parish Council Suzette Brown, funds have now been made available for the abattoir to be connected to the municipal grid. She said the council has received a number of quotations from contractors who are bidding for the contract, and a decision would be made soon.