Addressing Unsanitary Abattoir Practices In Nigeria

Meats such as beef, chicken, goat and lamb are all rich in protein and one of the main sources of vitamin B12 in the diet. Hygiene is important when processing, storing, preparing and cooking foods and meats. Meat is widely perceived as a luxury in meals for many people. For some people, not having some pieces of meat in their meals is a sign of lack and poverty and they will not take it likely with anyone that denies them that source of protein. But today, a growing number of people are gradually making a switch to a plant-based diet. The reason is not unconnected with the issue of unsanitary abattoir practices in the country which is posing a serious health concern.
It is unsavory to note that in most slaughter houses across the country, meat processing is done in a poor manner that leads to incidence of bruises, cuts, lacerations and infections among slaughterhouse workers. Regrettably, poor handling of meat and contaminated food could lead to infectious diseases such as cholera, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis and other parasitic worms which are witnessed in Nigeria. Though many of these cases are underreported, research shows that unsanitary abattoirs are the sources of public health concerns. Reports about hapless Nigerians who have contracted infectious diseases through the consumption of contaminated meats and poultry foods abound.
Considering the unwholesome practices in many abattoirs in the country, fears are that more Nigerians might be at risk of contracting these non-communicable diseases.  A lot of abattoirs in Nigeria operate under filthy environments  and are unfit to serve as standard abattoirs. From the muddy and filthy entrance to the unkempt premises or surroundings, the average Nigerian abattoir lacks the hygiene expected of a place where an edible as vital as meat is being processed and sold to consumers. According to experts, modernising the traditional method of meat slaughtering and processing by subjecting it under hygienic conditions had remained a mirage due to the huge capital investment involved in building modern facilities.
Mr. Magaji Kata, Chairman, Abattoir Butchers Association, FCT Chapter, said that the unhealthy condition of abattoirs in most parts of the country had remained a concern that requires urgent attention by the authorities. “Every year we lose cows due to the poor sanitary condition of the abattoirs. Whenever it rains heavily, the mud enters the ears and nose of the cows leading to their death,’’ he said. Kata, who solicited the government’s intervention, hoped that the situation could be turned around for good.   There has been a clamour for a total change of the unsanitary practices in abattoirs and meat haulage processes. The Veterinary Council of Nigeria had also warned against the consumption of meat roasted with tyres in abattoirs saying that tyres contain cancer-causing substances.
An official of the council, Dr Fadipe Oladotun said that the warning became necessary in view of the growing health and environmental hazards of abattoirs with a lot of people being ignorant of the health consequences. “The more we eat those meats roasted with tyres, the more we are prone to health risks. There are alternatives and healthy ways of de-skinning meat rather than using tyres. Burning tyres contaminates the meat, degrades the environment and pollutes the atmosphere,’’ Oladotum said. Interestingly, the intervention of the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs), with the support of ECOWAS-RAAF and the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) to establish a modern abattoir is expected to change the narrative in the Federal Capital Territory, which could be extended to the states.
The NANTs abattoir located in Giri Gwagwalada Area Council would not only guarantee an integrated modern abattoir practice and standard but would ensure best practices on meat hygiene handling, processing, preservation, packaging and logistics. Stakeholders believe that it would also address issues relating to animal slaughtering and selling of healthy meats to the public under a very hygienic process to ensure human health and safety. Dr Ken Ukaoha, the National President of NANTs,  said that the association decided to establish a modern abattoir in Giri to address the unsanitary practices recorded in some abattoirs in the FCT. “We moved around and observed that the practices in most abattoirs are not just obsolete but annoying and shameful. By the time we got to many of the abattoirs, we discovered that waste and debris enter into them and nobody cares.
“In the process of transporting meat to the market, the butchers carry the meats on their laps and some on their heads and yet people will eat them. When they are slaughtering the animals, their sweat mixes with the animal and where they are selling them as meat you see them battling with flies. We feel that these bad practices can be stopped and replaced with best practices by establishing a modern abattoir,’’ Ukoha said.   He said that the project which would be implemented with an integrated concept aimed at promoting humane slaughter of animals, profitable waste conversion mechanism and capacity building engagements with public abattoir butchers. Ukaoha said food safety was very critical because of multiplication of cancerous diseases caused by poor food standards, adding that beyond food safety, NANTs  is looking for an abattoir that can generate employment and increase income.
Ukaoha highlighted some of the innovations in the modern abattoir, saying that blood from the slaughtered animals would be used for fish food, the hooks would be used to produce buttons for clothing while the horns and bones would be used for the production of plates. The facilities in the project include a processing unit, 50-cow capacity lirage, 10,000 litres tank bio digester, a roaster unit, and a power house. Others are changing rooms, stores, training centre, veterinary office, cold room, with the abattoir engaging over 300 workers. Dr Reuben Wyah, Director of Agriculture and National Resources, Gwagwalada Area Council described job creation as a significant benefit of the project. Wyah said that no fewer than 240 people benefited from the construction work at the abattoir.
The Chief of Giri Community, Alhaji Musa Wakili expressed pleasure at the project. “We are privileged that this project is located here. The people will definitely gain employment and that will improve their living conditions. To ensure the actualisation of the project, NANTs trained no fewer than 40 prospective workers/butchers drawn from the host community and tertiary institutions on Integrated Modern Abattoir Practices, Standards and Meat health/safety Regulations. “The project, no doubt, will make a lot of impact. It will project the name of the community as well as provide job opportunities,’’ he noted. Speaking, one of the graduate trainees, Miss Precious Akintade, an Agricultural Economics student of University of Abuja, said that the project provided her an opportunity to understand how meat could be processed without contamination and waste products turned to bio gas.
“With this, instead of buying fertiliser, I can use the organic fertilizer from the waste products to produce the plants in my farm,’’ she said.  Similarly, Mr Musa Wakili, a graduate of Political Science, University of Abuja, another trainee expressed satisfaction with his knowledge of better methods of meat handling. “I have gained much knowledge from slaughtering animals to the processing, packaging and preservation,’’ Wakili said. A customer, Mrs. Maryann Nkwodimma said that the modern NANTs environmentally friendly, healthy and hygienic abattoir would always be the delight of the butchers and the customers. ‘The NANTs modern abattoir, no doubt, will address issues relating to animal slaughtering and ensure the sale of healthy meat to the public under very hygienic processing, handling and packaging that will guarantee human health and safety,’’ Nkwodimma said.
Mrs. Nkwodimma advised the government, particularly at the local government and state levels as well as public and private companies to borrow a leaf from NANTs  and invest in providing modern abattoirs in their localities as that will help in ensuring that the citizens eat healthy meat which will translate to a healthy Nigerian populace and a healthy nation.

By: Calista Ezeaku