THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
Related Articles
As Eid al-Adha approaches, a prominent academic is urging the public to ensure both humane treatment of animals and hygienic practices during sacrificial rituals, highlighting the impact on public health, animal welfare and environmental safety.
Professor Dr. Ali Gücükoğlu, a faculty member at the Department of Food Inspection Technology at Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMÜ) and the chair of the Association of Veterinary Food Hygienists, made key recommendations during a briefing at the Canik Animal Market in Samsun. He said the holiday, while religiously significant, is also a time when community solidarity and responsible behavior must come together.
Emphasizing the importance of health and safety, Gücükoğlu recommended that animals should only be selected from markets designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and monitored by authorized veterinarians. He stressed that the animals must have official ear tags and valid veterinary health reports.
He also reminded the public that sacrificial animals must meet both religious and veterinary criteria: They should not be blind, lame or have missing tissue. Symptoms such as nasal or oral discharge, foul-smelling secretions from natural body openings, or labored breathing should raise concerns and prompt further inspection.
Noting that nearly 15 percent of all livestock slaughtered in Türkiye each year are sacrificed during Eid al-Adha, Gücükoğlu underlined the importance of minimizing animal suffering. He stated that the knife used should be extremely sharp and ideally 1.5 to 2 times the length of the animal’s neck. He advised against severing the head before the animal has died and emphasized that bloodletting must be complete, lasting at least five minutes for small animals and six minutes for larger ones to ensure both hygienic and religious adequacy.
