Govt to wipe out substandard slaughtering

BEIJING - China is vowing to eliminate substandard meat processing in the country within the next few months as part of a campaign to ensure food is safe, officials said on Friday.

"Some small and medium-sized slaughterhouses and processors that have the proper authorization now fail to meet the standards for meat processing, and that has raised great potential risks for the country's meat supply," Jiang Zengwei, deputy minister of commerce, said at a news conference held by nine government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The departments will begin a four-month campaign in March to improve standards at plants where pigs are slaughtered and processed. They will work to ensure the conditions at such places are sanitary, that proper quarantine measures are being taken and that the environment is being protected.