WVD: Anambra Govt Collaborates with Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association on Safer Animal Health

By Praise Chinecherem

Stakeholders in the animal health sector have called for collaborative efforts to ensure safer animal health and adherence to established standards in meat handling practices across slaughter houses in the state.

They made the call during an early morning scheduled visit to Kwata Slaughter Slab, Awka, for meat inspection and supervision as part of activities lined up for this year’s World Veterinary Day Celebration.

The inspection visit was staged by the Anambra State Chapter of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) in conjunction with the State Ministry of Agriculture.

World Veterinary Day celebration was started by the World Veterinary Association in year 2000 and is celebrated every year on the last Saturday of April, to promote contributions of Veterinarians all over the world.

During the visit, members of the association stated their resolve to intensify daily meat inspection activities at various slaughter slabs/abattoirs across the state to ensure that no animal is slaughtered without being certified safe.

Declaring the meat inspection activity open, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor, described the theme for this year’s celebration, “Animal Health Takes A Team” as very apt and called for a synergy among veterinary professionals.

“We live in one planet called earth, often we tend to think of ourselves as being separate but indeed it is a one earth, one health ecosystem.

“You need a healthy soil to produce healthy plants and you need healthy plants to produce healthy animals. You need healthy animals to pass on healthy food or meat to human beings. It is a one health approach that will ensure that we have healthy animals.

” This year’s celebration calls us back to this sensitivity that we have a role to play to maintain a healthy planet. We have a role to play to maintain a healthy food chain and the animals are very important in our food chain”

Contributing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Ifeyinwa Uzoka, underscored the importance of animal health, urging the butchers to resist the temptation of slaughtering sick animals for public consumption.

While commending the butchers for maintaining a healthy environment, she called for sustained safety and compliance with hygienic meat handling practices in abattoirs.

The State Chairman, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Dr Victor Ughaerumba, stressed the need to spread the awareness about animal health and disease surveillance, highlighting the importance of team work by stakeholders to achieve positive results.

He, then, enjoined operators of slaughter slabs and abattoirs in the state to register with the State Veterinary Services Department and ensure compliance to operational standards.

In a remark, State Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Lady Chy Basil Ejidike, represented by Dr Chuka Ibekwe, reiterated the commitment of the department to partner stakeholders to promote animal health and appreciated those who contributed to the success of the event.

Earlier, Chairman, Obinwanne Butchers Association, Mr Charles Okafor, assured the visitors that they process healthy animals for public consumption in line with safety practices and praised the cordial working relationship and shared objective with the veterinary doctors.

“When we eat good food that comes from the production of crops and plants, we consume good meat and nutrients, the end result is good health. And when you are healthy, health is wealth” He added

Okafor, who was represented by the Secretary of the association, Mr Emeka Igwe, commended the veterinary doctors for staging the event and thanked the Commissioner for considering it proper to participate in the activity.

The inspection visit marked the end of the activities lined up for the celebration in the state which also featured enlightenment programme in ABS Radio Station, Choice FM Nnewi and Signature TV Enugu.