Benue State Government is set to conduct livestock census in the state to have statistics of both the livestock and owners.
The Principal Special Assistant to the state governor on Livestock Development and Transboundary Animal Disease Control, Aondoaka Asambe, disclosed this on Monday in Makurdi after assessing the abattoir livestock market.
Asambe said this would help to put an end to incessant farmers/herders clashes and other forms of criminality across the state.
He expressed the desire of the governor to turn around the fortunes of the livestock industry in the state.
According to him, all livestock establishments in the state would be resuscitated in the middle and long term while production would step up with improved livestock breeds.
He said in the short term, “Our plans are to conduct the census and register livestock farmers, hatcheries and feed mills with the sole target of first meeting up with the local consumption demands
“Conducting livestock census or animals census comes with a whole lot of benefits. The major one is that it helps to control the incessant clashes between farmers and herders that we have been having in the state.
“It will also control animals rustling. By the time the animal census is conducted, we will be able to trace all animals to their owners because they will all have tags. All animals coming to abattoirs must also have tags so in this case crime will be reduced within the industry to the barest minimum,” Asambe said.
The governor’s aide lamented that all abattoirs visited within the capital city do not meet the minimum standards for slaughterhouses, stressed that all of them do not have access to potable water and good roads and also failed to meet the basic hygiene standards.
In his speech, the Chairman, Meat Shops Owners Association Makurdi branch, Austin Ugwu called on the state government to provide an enabling environment to carry out their businesses.
