The transportation of animals and animal commodities in Nigeria is a statutory responsibility of the country’s veterinary services, guided by established veterinary legislation and regulatory frameworks.
Globally, the Veterinary Authority plays a pivotal role in ensuring a safe and conducive environment for the trade of animals and animal products, which is essential for public health and food safety.
Regulatory framework
In Nigeria with special reference to trade cattle, the regulatory framework governing veterinary services comprises of two national acts and one international code:
1. Animal Diseases (Control) Act: This act outlines regulations for controlling trade in animals and animal products, requiring permits for loading and transportation, licensing of traders and issuance of import and export permits (guided by the CITES agreement).
2. Veterinary Surgeons Act: This focuses on professional oath and veterinary ethics ensuring that practitioners uphold high standards of care and responsibility.
3. Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH): This international code establishes guidelines for the safe movement of animals and animal products across borders globally.
These legislative measures are vital for creating a legal framework that enforces safe transportation practices and protects both human and animal health.
Cattle movements dynamics
The movement of animals in Nigeria is largely driven by market demand and supply, with a notable trend of animals being transported from the Northern states to the South. Approximately over 50% of the cattle and small ruminants slaughtered in Nigeria originate from neighbouring countries, including those from as far away as Central African Republic, Sudan and South Sudan.
To facilitate this trade, animals are required to pass through designated International Control Posts 36 in number situated at the National border and State control posts before reaching major markets in the Northern States. Merchants involved in this trade must be licensed under the Animal Diseases (Control) Act.
To transport these animals, to the Southern markets and abattoirs, the vehicles are mandated by law to pass through one of the eight gazetted Interstate Control Posts, situated at Kwara, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Plateau States. Some of these posts have facilities like weighbridges and quarantine stations for inspection, quarantining and resting of animals.
A recent survey indicated that over 2.5m trade cattle annually pass through Jebba and Lokoja, Interstate Control Posts (personal com. Livestock247). There are also eleven veterinary quarantine stations at major international airports.
Safe trade in animals and animal products
From the veterinary perspective, there are five critical issues in the safe transportation of animals and animal products. These are;
1. Sanitary Assurance: The movement of animals and animal products carries the risk of spreading diseases both within a territory and across borders. Sanitary measures must be enforced to control disease transmission.
2. Identification and Traceability: effective tracking of animals and products is crucial for safety, quality assurance, and efficient response to any disease outbreak. Identification and traceability systems help maintain records from origin to destination, ensuring transparency and control.
3. Animal Welfare: ensuring good animal welfare during transportation is essential, including resting, and protecting animals from pain, injury, and stress. Handling practices that prioritize animals’ well-being throughout transit are compulsory.
4. Veterinary Infrastructure for movement control: key infrastructure like control posts (at international borders, within states and interstate levels), quarantine stations, and cold chain systems are necessary to support safe movement, enforcement of border security measures, and maintaining product quality. These facilities help regulate animal flow, manage health checks, and support compliance with import/export requirements.
5. Specialized transport vehicles: vehicles specifically designed for animal transportation such as trailers, trucks, and vans that meet animal welfare specifications are essential. These vehicles should accommodate animals comfortably, ensuring their safety and minimizing stress and cold chain facilities of products during movement. Trade animals can however be moved on hoof without restrictions as long as the distance does not exceed 30 kilometers.
Partnership, innovations & enablers
The enforcement of regulations is primarily the responsibility of the Veterinary Authority, who collaborate with relevant governmental agencies. This partnership is crucial for ensuring compliance and monitoring the movement of livestock, particularly as Nigeria is the largest livestock market in ECOWAS.
To ensure safe and efficient transportation of live animals and animal products, strategic partnerships, technological innovations, and supportive infrastructure are essential. These include:
1. Legal framework and enforcement: Veterinary authorities, alongside government agencies and private sector stakeholders, should further review and enforce existing legislation on the safe transportation of animals. Collaboration with law enforcement agencies and transporters is necessary to ensure adherence to regulations and humane handling practices.
2. Digital Innovations for value addition: Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven tools can monitor the movement of vehicles, and provide traders with real-time market data on prices, demand, and logistics. This improves bargaining power, market integration, transit efficiency and general networking.
3. Identification and traceability: Digital tracking systems enhance transparency and consumer trust by tracing animals and products from farm to market and abattoirs. These systems give proof of ownership, help prevent cattle rustling, open access to premium markets, and support access to finance and insurance for cattle traders.
4. Infrastructure development: Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the development of infrastructure in livestock markets, transportation, and cold chain systems to boost quality, safety, and access to markets in remote areas, thus enhancing revenue generation is necessary. The Federal/State governments and private sector should continue to support disease control at control posts to secure safe cross-border and in-country livestock trade.
Conclusion
The transportation policy for animals and animal products should prioritize safety, control, and animal welfare, and it should be an integral part of a National Meat Policy, which the country currently lacks. By global best practices, the Veterinary Authority should take a leadership role in collaboration with relevant institutions.
An abridged version of a paper presented by Dr Junaidu Maina at Development of a Policy Framework for Transportation of Livestock in Nigeria, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology on 30-31 October 2024
