MEAT PROCESSING company Abakor will soon begin to export a rather unusual product - ostrich meat. Abakor plans to slaughter about 100 000 birds a year for the overseas market. The Pyramid abattoir outside Pretoria will be converted to a facility dealing only in ostriches. The European Union recently gave the abattoir its approval to process meat for member states.
Ostrich meat moved from being a novelty item to a regular feature of European diets following the Ômad cow' scare in Britain last year. It is considered a worthy - and cheap - replacement for beef which is susceptible to the brain disease which is possibly transferable to humans.
Most of the produce will be shipped to Europe and the East. It is expected to provide new job opportunities as ostrich farms increase production to meet demand.
