Fifteen selected mosques in several states will use the mobile slaughter cages developed by Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia (YIM) to perform the Hari Raya Aidiladha ‘korban’ or sacrificial ritual beginning this Friday.

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Minister Ahmad Amzad Hashim said the cages were introduced to facilitate the compliance of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For now, the cages will be used in 10 mosques in the Federal Territory, while the rest will be used in several other states, including Johor, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan.

“We can make improvements to this system… Insya Allah (the use of the cages) will receive good response from the states,” he told reporters after the handing-over ceremony of the slaughter cages at Federal Territory Mosque here yesterday.

Earlier, a demonstration on the use of the cage was conducted for representatives of the selected mosques.

Ahmad Amzad said the cages, which were made from steel and priced at RM25,000 each, would make for an easier and more organised slaughtering activity, facilitate the practice of safe social distancing and minimise the workload to just three people.

“It is not easy to introduce an innovation that changes the customary way of slaughtering. When the pandemic happened, there was a need to look for the best method that would enable us to comply with the SOP set by the government,” he said.

-- BERNAMA