HIBAPRESS – Rabat
Ali Chtour, President of the Moroccan Association for the Defense of Consumer Rights, affiliated with the Moroccan University of Consumer Rights, warned of the danger of circulating and selling laying hens, commercially known as "Krouazi," noting that it is sold to consumers despite not being intended for human consumption.
Chtour said in a statement to the "HIBAPRESS" newspaper that this type of chicken is raised for egg production only, not for meat, and that during its production cycle, materials, medicines, and veterinary pesticides are used, which are intended to increase production and not for direct human consumption. He pointed out that many European countries euthanize this type of chicken after its production cycle ends and do not allow it to be marketed to consumers because of the possibility of it containing drug residues or elements that are not compatible with food safety requirements. Chtour stressed that Moroccan laws related to consumer protection and health prevention for poultry farming and the monitoring of its production and marketing stipulate that any chicken offered for sale must come from licensed farms and be subject to veterinary inspection, and that farming, slaughtering, and distribution facilities must comply with strict health conditions. He added that selling laying hens to consumers without subjecting them to veterinary examination and legal slaughtering and marketing conditions constitutes an illegal practice and endangers the health of consumers, stressing that the lack of transparency in the conditions of raising, transporting, and slaughtering this chicken, along with its low price, makes it primarily targeted at the poor and vulnerable classes, which necessitates the intervention of the authorities to protect the health of citizens. Chtour called on the competent authorities to ban the sale of unlicensed laying hens in markets and shops, to conduct strict veterinary control of all slaughtering, distribution, and marketing operations, to oblige sellers to display the health and veterinary license of the poultry source, and to take punitive measures against anyone who endangers the health of consumers. He also called on consumers not to buy any chicken at abnormally low prices and to report to the authorities or consumer protection associations if they suspect the quality of the chicken offered for sale.
