Tinubu Creates New Ministry 

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday announced the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development. The President announced while inaugurating the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. But President Tinubu did not mention the name of the Minister for the new ministry as it is expected that he has to forward the name to the Senate for screening and confirmation if it’s a new nominee. Present at the Inauguration were the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila amongst cabinet members. Recall that President Tinubu on 15th September 2023, approved the establishment of the Presidential Committee dedicated to the reform of the livestock industry and the provision of long-term solutions to recurring clashes between herders and farmers in the country.

3m people die annually from food poisoning globally- Expert  

A food expert, and second Vice President of Nigeria Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), Dr Ignatius Alaka, has labeled farmers using inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, synthetic hormones to grow their crops and raise livestocks as hired assassins. Alaka said the farmers were killing consumers slowly and painfully. According to him, these farmers kill consumers of their produce gradually and painfully. This is even as he called for increased consumption of organic products. Presenting a paper titled “Food Safety, Hygiene and Adherence to Quality Organic Standard,” during a ensitization workshop on organic agriculture for rice farmers and processors in Ebonyi State recently Dr. Alaka, said research has shown over the years that these in-organic substances used in farming had very serious deleterious harmful effects, even as he revealed that globally, over 1.5 billion cases of food borne disease outbreak are reported resulting in 3 million deaths. “Organic agriculture, which is governed by strict government standards, requires that products bearing the organic label are produced without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering etc. The use of organic fertilizers to grow nutritious foods is becoming internationally acceptable in-view of its numerous health benefits. “Consumers should be aware that you are what you eat. Anyone who has ever had food poisoning can tell you it is an experience you would never wish for your enemy. To avoid this, it is important to learn about food safety guidelines pertaining to the preparation of foods. “However, there is inadequate supervision and proper monitoring by food safety officers and the enforcement of food hygiene regulation is weak. There is also the lack of training in food safety and good hygiene practices for food handlers. “Rice is one of the most important grain crops in the world. Growth in population combined with rapid urbanization has helped to fuel the demand for rice. In order to meet up with the high demand for rice, farmers have to increase their production capacity by adapting conventional means of using in-organic fertilizers and pesticides. “The way people access food is important for their safety and health. All food manufacturers have a responsibility to provide consumers with safe, wholesome foods. Safety is not an option but it is an essential part of the planning, preparation and production of foods. “The safety and quality of foods is becoming a matter of increasing concern. Information is more readily available to consumers through the mass media and they are considerably more aware of existing and potential risks from pesticides, food poisoning and a poor diet,” he warned. He said a lack of consideration of safety can result in serious threat to public health and according to him, in most countries serious penalties exist for those who contravene hygiene and food safety legislations.  He also, urged farmers to take advantage of the high demand of organic produce across the world, saying consumer demand for organic food is growing at a rate of 20 to 30 per cent annually year and that it is estimated that more than 6 out of every 10 Australian households now buy organic foods, hence Nigeria farmers must key in now and take advantage of this opportunity to grow organic rice and other crops.

Anthrax Outbreak: FAO strengthens partnership with Nigeria

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) have expressed their readiness to partner to check and control the spread of Anthrax disease in the country. Their partnership followed the anxiety created over the emergence of an anthrax outbreak in Nigeria, following the report of two recently confirmed cases in Lagos State. The Communications Officer FAO Nigeria, David Tsokar, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja. According to the statement, on July 13, a suspected case of Anthrax was reported in a mixed farm at Sabon Wuse, Niger State, and a rapid response team was deployed by the Federal Government to collect samples and send them to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in Vom, Plateau. The presence of the disease was confirmed by the team and consequently, FMARD announced Government’s plan to intervene and control its possible spread. Tsokar said the Director, the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, (FDVPCS) in FMARD, Dr. Columba Vakuru, said the strategy of interventions include quarantining the affected farm. Other measures include the vaccination of susceptible animals around the infected farm, educating farm workers using the One-health approach, and planning statewide vaccination of susceptible animals. The FAO Nigeria, through the Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) was requested to provide the technical and financial support to the intervention strategy. This has to be on logistics to the start-off of the risk-based nation-wide vaccination against Anthrax, which commenced last Friday, July 22 in Suleja (Niger State), the local government where the first case was reported. Subsequently, a nation-wide meeting with all Directors of Veterinary Services (DVS) from the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory would be convened to fashion a comprehensive response to prevent, detect and respond to further spread of Anthrax to other parts of the country. The FAO ECTAD Country Team Lead, Dr Otto Vianney Muhinda, said that “the partnership is to be enhanced within the context of the One Health approach, and efforts would be sustained using a strong team of frontline experts, to prevent the spread of the disease to other parts of the country. “With the support of USAID, we are pursuing our efforts to mobilise human and financial resources, including the Directors of Veterinary Services from the 36 States and FCT Abuja, to discuss the ongoing Anthrax outbreak and evaluate the preparedness of the States vis-à-vis the implementation of strategies to prevent the spread of the disease into the country as well as put in place control measures.” The consultative meeting with DVSs from the states would discuss risk assessment and survey, the conduct of mass nationwide vaccination of animals (cattle, sheep, and goats) against Anthrax, refresher training for epidemiology officers, and training of livestock professionals, farmers, butchers and traders on biosecurity measures. The joint field mission to Sabon Wuse was conducted by the ECTAD, FDVPCS, and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), where a quick risk assessment was conducted, one week after the first animal died of the disease. Vaccinations had, however, been carried out and other risk communication initiatives were deployed to avoid the spread to other farms and/or neighboring communities within 15 kilometers radius. The same team would be deployed to Lagos State to carry out the same exercise.