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The implementation of a new law on veterinary charges that will harmonise and standardise meat production, processing, inspection and conveyance in the country has began this month. This is in accordance with the Public Health Act passed by Parliament in 2012. Application The new law will apply in the operations of butchers in all 347 abattoirs, slaughter houses and slabs across the country. The Head of the Public Health and Food Safety Division of the Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bashiru Boi Kikimoto, announced this at a training workshop for veterinary meat inspectors and butchers in Ho. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the Meat Export Federation, Department of Agriculture and the Poultry and Egg Export Council, all of the United States America. Participants were drawn from the Volta, Greater Accra, Eastern and Central regions. Awards for Farmers Day Dr Kikimoto urged participants to adopt best practices in their trade and indicated that a competition for the Best Slaughter House award would be instituted at the Farmers Day celebrations this year. He said butchers were part of public health services of the country, which demanded that they should adopt best slaughter practices, good transportation system, proper handling, hygienic slaughter slabs and floors, among others. A facilitator from the USA, Dr Mark Lobstein of Global Agrifoods Consulting, charged the participants to protect their meat against zoonotic diseases because an infected animal could pose a threat to human lives. He explained that the Public Health Act was in the best interest of the public, since it was meant to protect people from consuming adulterated or unhealthy meat or poultry products. The Volta Regional Director of Veterinary Services, Mark Tettey, asked the participants to put what they had learnt at the workshop into practice to ensure good health.