The Nigeria Senate has advocated for establisment of National Animal Identification and Management Bureau for proper tracking of animal livestocks in Nigeria.
The draft bill, which was presented on Tuesday at the Public hearing on Agriculture and Rural Development by Senator Abu Ibrahim representing Katsina South Senatorial district, was a follow up to Nigeria’s membership of World Organization for Animal Health.
Explaining the need for the Bureau, the lawmaker said the nation had been denied of gross earnings, since it could not export meat to other countries for lack of meeting international standard.
He lamented that Nigeria had not keyed into the Pretoria declaration two years after, hence, there was no proper recordings, identification and management of animals in Nigeria.
“In April 2015, Sub-Saharan African countries including Nigeria adopted a declaration in Pretoria, South Africa, on animal identification and recording”, he said.
Abu stoutly canvassed that animal related responsibilities be severed from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for it to function effectively.
According to him, the bureau would effectively tackle cattle rustling and check the menace of herdsmen/farmers clashes.
He explained that animal livestocks could easily be identified, the location, and breed known, adding that they will also be traced for purposes of desease surveillance.
“The challenge of herdsmen and farmers clashes would have been taken care of with the propose bureau.
“It also means that ownerships, location, breed and other information onnanimal would have been available for easy tracking if there is animal deasease”, he added.
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