Nigeria’s foremost agriculture-focused Management Consulting firm, Sahel Consulting has called on the Federal Government to establish a dedicated panel to scrutinize and refine the national animal health policies and strategies to ameliorate the global and climate change dynamics in the sector.
The Forum said Nigeria’s N30trn-worth livestock industry faces imminent economic and environmental threats due to the current global and climate change dynamics affecting the livestock industry.
In a press release signed by Communications Associate, Sahel Consulting, Oluwaseun Durojaiye, during the inaugural of the National Animal Health Forum held in Abuja, on Thursday, said livestock death and diminished productivity are factors contributing to reduced livestock farmers’ income, pushing rural farmers toward the lower echelons of the poverty pyramid.
He added that “One critical point noted is that animal health is adversely affected by the sudden increase in atmospheric temperature in response to global warming, leading to heat stress in livestock and a reduction in their immunity. Over time, this exposure renders livestock susceptible to recurring illnesses, diminished productivity, and, in the worst-case scenario, death.
“Nigeria’s population is approximately 220 million, with children and adults comprising the majority. Children require animal protein to enhance growth and development, while adults need protein to repair and build body tissue and drive metabolic reactions.”
Speaking on mitigation strategies and recommendations, Managing Partner, Sahel Consulting Temitope Adegoroye emphasized that reviewing the current policies is critical to ensure the profitability and sustainability of the livestock sector.
“A multitude of recommendations has been offered to the government, and the policy decision-makers must determine the future trajectory of the livestock sector as a matter of urgency,” Adegoroye said.
Some of the other recommendations mentioned during the Forum include: the government must set up an implementation committee to draw up the implementation plan for the revised animal health policy and strategies and set up a team to conduct nationwide monitoring and evaluation of the impacts against policy indicators to ensure sustainable animal health.
Daily Trust reports that the Forum hosted by Sahel Consulting in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), convened key players from government institutions, the private sector, the development landscape, livestock and veterinary industry associations and other professional bodies, to address the gaps in animal health service delivery to the last mile resulting from the inefficiency of Nigeria’s existing Animal Health Policies.
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