Killer beef
•Regulators of livestock market have a lot to do to check fattened animals There is no limit to how far some Nigerians can go in their quest to get rich
•Regulators of livestock market have a lot to do to check fattened animals
There is no limit to how far some Nigerians can go in their quest to get rich quick. That can be the only reason why some livestock dealers would give their animals fattening drugs for the purpose of increasing their size in order to make more money from selling them.
This is naturally giving beef consumers in Kano, Kano State, where the practice is common concern because of the adverse effects of the drugs on the animals as well as human health.
The practice is known in local parlance as “Sha Ka Fashe”.
One Muhammad Balarabe, who was deceived into buying a huge cow later complained about significant financial loss because the “very big and healthy-looking cow” eventually deteriorated and later died within days of purchase.
That is for the known and the reported.
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Many other victims could have seen the consequence as “an act of God” and moved on with their lives.
What with the growing cattle business in Kano markets and other markets in the country. Lest we forget, cattle rearing is still at the rudimentary stage in the country. Chances therefore are that many animals put up for sale had been given such drugs that give them artificial weight.
Nigerians consume a lot of beef and milk that are products of these contaminated animals.
It would not be a big deal if all the buyers of the animals lose is the artificial weight. But beyond that are other issues that experts say are injurious to both the animals and the ultimate consumers.
According to the experts, the practice could spark antimicrobial resistance and mad cow disease. In the long run, the animals could suffer severe diarrhea, infections, and at times, sudden death, as the cow purchased by Balarabe.
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We agree with Balarabe that there is need for prompt provision or enforcement of regulatory and legal framework to check the trend.
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Many abattoirs in the country lack adequate supervision. It seems cow butchers think theirs is a trade that can only thrive in dirty, unhygienic environments. They hardly care about cleanliness.
We can only imagine what the central abattoir in the Agege area of Lagos would have been like but for the several efforts of the Lagos State government to ensure it is well maintained. The government has had to shut the abattoir down several times to compel those running it to keep it tidy.
Commenting on the Kano development, Mrs. Alice Attabor, an Assistant Director and second-in- command to the Kano State Coordinator of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said that the agency had destroyed fake agrochemicals, seized offensive drugs from manufacturers, and prosecuted some offenders.
“So far, the agency has destroyed a significant consignment of fake agrochemicals and prosecuted offenders under sections 5 and 6 of the NAFDAC Act”, she said.
The Director of Public Health and Epidemiology in Kano State Ministry of Livestock, Dr. Abubakar Sani Inuwa, said although the ministry was yet to receive formal complaints on livestock fattening drugs, it has already taken measures to deal with issues that could affect public health.
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We do not think the ministry should be reactive. As ministry of livestock, it should have inspectors that would be going to the markets randomly to check what is going on there.
The ministry, he said, is stepping up measures to register livestock premises in the state in order to tighten regulations, effectively track dealers of veterinary drugs, livestock feeds, dairy products, and meat sellers.
It should do these quickly because of the potential danger to health that some of the practices of those in the livestock business pose to the society.
What is playing out with these fattening drugs administered on animals is as a report noted, “a ticking time bomb for animal and human health, while the nation risks losing breeds, farmers, and food security.”
A regulatory vacuum cannot be allowed in such a critical area of life.
