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 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% 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.
Gücükoğlu also stressed the importance of hygiene during and after slaughter. He recommended that once the animal is properly bled and dead, skinning should begin while the carcass is suspended to reduce contamination risks. Internal organs should be removed swiftly and carefully to prevent any leakage or contact with the meat, which can lead to microbial hazards. He advised that all equipment used, knives, cutting boards and containers, should be thoroughly washed with hot water and soap to avoid cross-contamination.
Addressing another common practice, Gücükoğlu discouraged immediate consumption of freshly slaughtered meat. He explained that muscle tissue must undergo biochemical changes to become edible meat, and this process takes a minimum of five to six hours for the internal temperature to decrease sufficiently. Ideally, he said, the meat should be refrigerated and consumed only after 24 hours to ensure food safety and improve taste and texture.
He also warned against storing large portions of warm meat in the refrigerator or wrapping them in plastic bags before cooling, as this can create a breeding ground for bacteria. Instead, he recommended allowing the meat to cool properly and dividing it into smaller portions before refrigerating.
Gücükoğlu outlined several signs that may indicate diseased meat, such as dark blood that does not clot, blister-like lesions on the skin, erosion in the mouth or on the tongue, rice grain-like nodules in the meat, abnormal organ appearance, fluid accumulation or pearl-like nodules in the chest cavity.
In such cases, he said, the entire animal, including its hide, should be stored in a cool area, and all tools used should be thoroughly sanitized. He stressed that any suspected issues must be reported to a veterinarian for evaluation, and that the final decision on the safety of the meat, skin, and internal organs must come from professional veterinary examination.
Concluding his remarks, Gücükoğlu reiterated that the ethical and hygienic conduct of animal sacrifice during Eid al-Adha is not merely a religious obligation, but also a critical public health responsibility. He called on all citizens to act conscientiously and follow veterinary guidance to ensure the health and safety of families and communities.
