Animal Carcasses Removed After Sandhill Residents Raise Health Concerns

Decomposing animal carcasses dumped along a Belize Electricity Limited powerline in Sandhill Village have been removed and properly disposed of, according to information reaching Love News shortly before news time. The update follows complaints from nearby residents and a response today from the Ministry of Health and Wellness about the public health concerns.  Love News visited the site yesterday and found partially burnt animal remains scattered in the open, surrounded by flies and vultures. Resident Alejandro Moralez said the stench was blowing toward nearby homes, making life difficult for families and leaving them worried about their health.   Principal Public Health Inspector and Health Disaster Coordinator John Bodden explained the concerns that arise when animal remains are left exposed for days.

John Bodden, Principal Public Health Inspector and Health Disaster Coordinator: “So the incident actually comes under the Belize Agricultural Health Authority. They’re responsible for managing meat plants and so they are the ones that are coordinating the actions on the ground. However, what we are doing is that we are providing the technical advice in terms of what should be done in terms of ensuring there is compliance with the public health regulations, because whenever they take necessary action, of course, it needs to be done properly. And so we have required them to bury the meat at an appropriate designated site. So once they have identified that site we would look at it and then we would tell them whether it’s suitable for the disposal of those meats. That is another responsibility of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and that would be a part of their plans for disposing of meat that is rendered unsafe for human consumption.”

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority says its officers visited the scene on the day of the fire. Before leaving, arrangements were made for the truck’s owner to bury the carcasses under police supervision.

John Bodden, Principal Public Health Inspector and Health Disaster Coordinator: “As was mentioned before, they have their protocols in which they are supposed to implement whenever they have issues like this. We were not at the site, so we were not familiar with what was happening out there. We were notified yes on Friday the 16th around somewhere around 11/12. And then on Wednesday the 21st that’s when we went out there and we observed what what was being addressed through a complaint that was issued from a villager in Sand Hill. And so when we rent there we found that yes there was stench coming from the improper disposal of meat and of course they were then advised that they need to ensure that it is properly disposed because that was not agreed upon in terms of the methodology for disposal. And so now it’s under the management of BAHA to ensure that there is compliance by the owner of the meats to ensure that it is disposed of properly.”

BAHA says it was unaware that the disposal had not been completed. Its officers later visited the dumping site and began working with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to address the situation. Shortly before this newscast, Love News was informed that the cleanup and proper disposal had been completed./