Meat complex sees slight dip in sacrificial animals

Panaji: A slight decline in the number of animals brought in for Eid al-Adha’s (Bakri Eid) qurbani ceremony has been reported by officials at the Goa Meat Complex, with around 400 animals arriving so far compared to 461 last year.Ritual sacrifices will be held over Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Officials overseeing preparations said that while initial estimates had projected nearly 600 animals, the current figures suggest the final tally may remain lower unless more consignments are received in the coming days.“Around 400 animals have already come in, and all mandatory ante-mortem inspections have been completed by the animal husbandry and veterinary services department,” sources said.Despite the lower numbers, the authorities said they were fully prepared to handle operations smoothly. Infrastructure upgrades have been completed ahead of the festival, including the installation of a new compressor system.While a generator has also been arranged, the electricity department has been instructed to avoid scheduled power cuts during peak operational period over the next two days. “We have been assured there will be no interruption unless there is an emergency like a thunderstorm,” sources said.The authorities also said all slaughter activities are being carried out within legal and regulatory frameworks, with proper veterinary checks in place. “Only buffalo are slaughtered here. No cow progeny is involved,” sources said.Meat slaughtered outside Goa in approved slaughterhouses will be permitted in the state provided it is accompanied by ante-mortem and postmortem certificates, copies of licences with full addresses and contact numbers, and in refrigerated vehicles only. All other procurement of beef or improper transportation of legally sourced beef will be treated as illegal.