The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) on Thursday explained that unwholesome practices were major reasons why Nigeria animal products have failed to meet the international market pricing.
Dr Olaniran Alabi, Chief Director, Veterinary and Pest Control Services, FMARD, represented by the Assistant Director of Veterinary Services in Abuja, Dr Modupeola Ogunnoiki, spoke at the National Animal Welfare Workshop held at Ikeja, Lagos.
The the Workshop with the theme: “Relevance of Animal Welfare in Nigeria” was organised by the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services of the FMARD.
The workshop in collaboration with the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE) was to raise awareness on global best practices in implementing the Nigeria Animal Welfare Services charter.
Alabi spoke on the importance of Animal Welfare to its end product, which has to do with nutritional values.
Ogunoiki, in an interview with NAN, stressed that unwholesome practices, ranging from animal husbandry, care, transportation and storage were some of the reasons for low quality of animal products.
“The way we handle animals in Nigeria is one of the reasons our products are not recognised in the international market.
“This is because there are pictures all over the place telling the world the way we handle our animals. From animal husbandry to the way we care for the animals are not in tune with international best practices.
“Also, the way we transport our animals tells a lot.
“Some people transport cows on bike; tying them on bikes is totally wrong. There are certified ways to transport our animals to the slaughter slabs and not even transporting them in private vehicles.
“The animals transported under unhygienic condition may get infected which will subsequently affect its meat. If we do organolectic test, most animals in Nigeria, before slaughter, will not be suitable for consumption,” she said.
According to Alabi, animal welfare is important and has relationships with its end products, adding that there are existing laws in place that protect animals.
“Animals have their own rights such as adequate food, rest and good transportation. We are not supposed to pack animals like sands, they will be stressed and this will also affect their products.
“There are also state laws on grazing for the welfare of the animals.
“These laws are there to make sure that we get the best result from whatever reason we have our various animals. We are already working on other laws as well.
“The act allowing animals to travel for about 1,000km for pasteurisation is a bad practice; these are some of the reasons the value of the cow meat decrease and also give rise to low productivity.
“All these infractions combined are the reasons our animal products are not valued in the international market. We need to work on the animal welfare to increase their quality for consumption,” she said.
Dr Mabel Ajumobi, the Country Liaison, International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE), convener of the workshop, also talked on the five freedoms animals must enjoy to ensure good production
“Animal welfare is the condition animals live and die which is enshrined in the five freedoms of the animals; these include freedom from discomfort, hunger and thirst, expression of their natural habitat, fear and distress and disaster.
“Nigeria has developed the National Animal Welfare Strategy which is a guiding principle as relates to animal welfare, this was adopted by National Council on Agriculture in 2016.
“The act provides legal framework for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as Nigeria is a signatory to the World Animal Health (WAE) charter.
“The WAE has developed standards which are accepted globally and Nigeria has adopted that standard for use because anima welfare is relatively new,” she said.
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Ajumobi noted that the principal objective of the workshop was to bring various stakeholders in animal care and husbandry to the terms of internationally accepted care by providing sensitisation.
“We want to provide the enlightenment to the various stakeholders on the role animal care will play in providing the right nutrients and also make our products be in line with international best practices.
“We should know that animals also feel pains and so, we need to treat them properly in order to increase their productivity and nutrients.
“A poorly treated animal will not produce optimally either for food or reproduction. for us to access international market, it is important that the welfare of our animals are taken into consideration.
“Animals that do not enjoy good welfare cannot be traded in the international market,” she said.
NAN reports that participants at the workshop included representatives from the universities in Nigeria, officials of the FMARD, staff of Agriculture Extension Programmes, officials of the Ministries of Agriculture in states in Nigeria among others. (NAN)
