JEDDAH, 7 September 2007 — In spite of municipality regulations to close or change their business to selling eggs and frozen chicken, many live chicken stores around Jeddah are still in operation.
Many stores admit they know about the decision but said that they have not received any official document from the municipality and so are continuing to operate.
Some customers, who are still buying from these shops, said that they would continue to buy fresh chicken as long as they can. “I like these chickens, they are fresh and better than those stored in fridges. Besides, closing these shops would result in great losses, it would be better if the municipality allows them to continue selling their products and carry out regular field inspections to document violations,” said a citizen.
Other citizens expressed support for the municipality decision, saying they are designed to protect the health of customers. “Most of those shops do not adhere to the minimal safety procedures and some workers do not carry medical certificates that prove that they aren’t suffering from an illness. It is better to close them and to use alternatives that are safe and available everywhere,” said another citizen, adding that field inspections are important to stop the shops from operating.
According to Dia Al-Othmani, head of the General Department for Authorization and Commercial Observation, the municipality is closing all shops and obliging owners to sell eggs and frozen chicken.
Jabir Al-Shihri, general manager of the Makkah Region branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that they have already closed a number of shops. He added that inspections are still continuing.
