Assessment of Butchers’ Knowledge of Meat Hygiene, Food Safety and Zoonotic Diseases in the Cauvery Delta Region of Tamil Nadu, India

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess knowledge of meat production, hygiene, food safety and zoonotic disease risks among 200 butchers in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Data were collected through personal interviews using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire and summarised using frequencies and percentages. Knowledge of healthy animal selection was reported by 79.0% of respondents, whereas awareness of ante-mortem inspection, post-mortem inspection and cold-chain maintenance was 56.0%, 62.0% and 53.0%, respectively. Overall, 35.0% of respondents demonstrated good knowledge of meat production practices, while 37.0% and 28.0% had moderate and poor knowledge, respectively. Tuberculosis was the most frequently recognised zoonotic disease (62.0%), followed by salmonellosis (58.0%) and brucellosis (48.0%). Awareness of leptospirosis (37.0%) and cysticercosis (34.0%) was comparatively low. Consumption of contaminated meat was the most frequently identified transmission route (73.0%), whereas 23.0% of respondents could not identify any route of transmission. Overall, zoonotic disease-risk knowledge was good in 54.0% of respondents, moderate in 20.0% and poor in 26.0%. These findings highlight knowledge gaps in meat inspection, cold-chain management and the recognition of selected zoonotic diseases. Targeted, veterinarian-led training programmes could strengthen food-safety awareness and promote occupational disease prevention among butchers.