FG Restates Commitment to Modern Poultry Disease Surveillance System

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a modern, integrated and responsive poultry disease surveillance system to protect farmers, the food system and the national economy.

Source: nationalupdate

The Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Anzaku Samuel, stated this in Abuja at the opening of a one-day training for one hundred selected poultry farmers from across the country and the FCT. The training focused on strengthening private sector poultry laboratories in Nigeria.

Dr Anzaku said the present administration is intensifying sensitisation of farmers after recognising disease as the greatest threat to the poultry sector. He noted that effective surveillance is necessary to prevent outbreaks that affect productivity, feed efficiency, egg output, trade confidence and consumer safety.

He called for closer collaboration between government and the private sector to improve diagnosis turnaround time so farmers can receive results quickly and make timely decisions. He also urged participants to standardise reporting pathways to improve communication among veterinarians, laboratory diagnosticians and producers.

Dr Anzaku commended the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicine for organising the training, saying it would strengthen Nigeria’s animal health system.

Country Manager of the organisation, Dr Moses Arokoyo, said the training promotes a diagnostic and preventive approach to disease control to improve profitability for poultry farmers. He added that collaboration is needed because farmers hold data required by government for accurate sector information.

He appealed to the Federal Government to ease import regulations and strengthen the capacity of rural farmers for improved productivity.

Director-General of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Onalo Akpa, identified high production costs as a major challenge and urged government to engage professionals in livestock and crop sectors to balance raw material production and livestock farming. He said importation of raw materials is contributing to rising production costs.

The training brought together farmers and other livestock stakeholders to discuss challenges affecting poultry development in Nigeria.