By Faridat Salifu
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s livestock sector have called for stronger regulation of the rapidly expanding livestock industry to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and ensure fair participation for smallholder farmers.
Their call is in keeping with the Federal Government’s drive to boost food production and job creation.
Speaking at a stakeholder dialogue on Friday, co-founder of Sanuvia, Ainde Daniel, said the initiative was launched to address the urgent need for proper oversight in the livestock sector as Nigeria experiences a surge in industrial-scale farming.
“Sanuvia is an initiative that was born from the urgent need to ensure that there is proper regulation in the livestock industry,” Daniel said.
He noted that recent developments, including the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development and plans by global meat processor JBS to enter the Nigerian market, signal a new phase of industrial expansion.
“We observe that this expansion, when it occurs, promises job creation and improvement of livelihood. However, we are concerned about the risks that it poses — such as public health challenges, zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental degradation,” Daniel stated.
He further questioned how smallholder farmers would be affected by the expansion of large-scale operations, asking, “Will they be well in business or will there be competition?”
Daniel said the goal of the Sanuvia initiative is to foster collaboration among relevant ministries, agencies, and stakeholders to ensure that livestock production is regulated in a way that balances economic growth with sustainability.
“Our major focus is to ensure that we foster collaboration within every stakeholder to ensure that ministries are not working in silos. There should be proper collaboration and regulations that safeguard public health, the environment, animal welfare, and smallholder farmers,” he explained.
He expressed optimism that the stakeholder meeting would lead to actionable outcomes and stronger policy direction.
“We are very positive that after this gathering, we will do a proper follow-up to ensure that we don’t just end here or just discuss and leave. We will also follow up to ensure that it results in action,” he said.
According to Daniel, the dialogue featured representatives from key government institutions including the Ministry of Livestock Development, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), alongside farmer cooperatives and livestock associations.
Also speaking, Ilya Yohana, who represented the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development’s Department of Quality Assurance and Certification, said animal welfare has become a priority under the new ministry.
He revealed that the Minister had inaugurated a National Committee on Animal Welfare in Transit to address the challenges faced during animal transportation.
“It has been an issue. So, in the inclusivity of our leaders, the minister inaugurated a national committee on animal welfare in transit. And we had an open meeting,” Yohana said.
He added that awareness campaigns were being strengthened to ensure farmers understand the importance of animal welfare.
“The greatest thing that we will do now is sensitisation. Everybody must know that animal welfare is important because an animal that is bred under good welfare has meat that is tastier,” he said.
On his part, co-founder of Sanuvia Projects, Fashipe Isaac Babatunde, urged the government to take animal welfare and sustainable livestock practices seriously as the country moves toward industrialised farming.
“We are expecting the government to collaborate with us and to take seriously the work we are doing to mitigate the negative impact of industrialised farming in Nigeria. We must also prioritise animal welfare,” Babatunde said.
He warned that neglecting welfare standards in large-scale production could have long-term effects on public health and the environment.
“While we are upstarting the progress of the country in terms of creating jobs and increasing GDP, we must also prioritise the welfare of animals produced within the livestock sector. Not only income,” Babatunde added.
He said adopting better welfare standards would help farmers increase productivity and reduce the risk of disease outbreaks, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and sustainable livestock industry.
