Niger raises alarm over poisonous meat
The Niger State Government yesterday said it had uncovered massive use of steroid by livestock farmers and butchers which made meat in circulation unsafe for consumption.
Briefing journalists on the outcome of the state executive council meeting, the
Commissioner for Livestock and Fisheries, Zakari Bawa and his agriculture counterpart, Nuhu Dukku, said the use of steroid for fattening purpose by livestock farmers and butchers was a source of concern to government.
“Government discovered that some unscrupulous elements are inducing animals and circulating poisonous meat. This is due to the rise in population. Because of the increase in consumption, these wicked people have started using drugs especially antibiotics and crude methods in the animals.
“Our statistics show that between 800 and 1,000 cattle, sheep and goats are slaughtered, while over 5,000 chickens are consumed daily across the state, which put greater percentage of consumers at risk of this unwholesome practice “, Bawa said.
He said though veterinary drugs are critical to meeting the challenges of providing adequate amounts of food, the use of steroid for unwholesome purpose has the potential to generate residues which could pose a risk to consumer health.
“The inducing of these animals pose grave and dangerous health hazards to the consumer and increases the cost of human health care due to problems of drug resistance by infections disease causing organisms”, he explained.
Bawa further disclosed that drugs used in food animals could affect the people because of their secretion in edible animal tissues in trace amounts usually called residues either direct and short term hazards or indirect and long term hazards.
He said an inter ministerial committee which comprises the ministry and that of agriculture, health as well as the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration would soon be set up to address the malpractices.
He also said in the interim, veterinary doctors had been deployed to ensure that only healthy animals were slaughtered for consumption, adding that sensitisation on the inherent danger of the practice had commenced, while warning that anyone found wanting would be fined N500,000.