Veterinary Public Health

Human health is closely linked to animal health. A number of communicable diseases (known as zoonoses) are transmitted from animals to humans.

The regions Veterinary Public Health Programme focuses on safe and wholesome meat, dairy and Poultry and the processing facilities. It includes monitoring standards of: dairy farms and dairy products and poultry farms and products as well as inspection of slaughterer houses and meat slaughtered for human consumption.

Since meat can transmit diseases and there is the recent rise in Praedial Larceny, there is the risk of uninspected meat being sold for human consumption.

Each consumer must ensure that:

• They only purchase meat from approved sources that are licensed to sell meat for human consumption
• All meat that is purchased bear the approved stamp of the Government of Jamaica
• The meat obtained for human consumption has a normal appearance and was not been subject to contamination.
• They report any illegal activity that they see surrounding slaughtering and sale of meat. To the police of to that Health Department /Regional Health Authority.