world Bank–assisted Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project has begun a six-day training for 300 butchers, meat sellers and processors in Ondo State, to improve hygiene standards and curb illegal slaughtering practice.
The training, organised with Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Sailance International, is holding in Akure.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Commissioner for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Leye Akinola, said the programme targets value-chain actors in animal husbandry to ensure operations at abattoirs meet international standards.
Akinola said the training would promote hygienic meat processing and prevent transmission of animal-borne diseases to humans.
“This programme is an opportunity to educate those rearing and slaughtering animals meant for human consumption. It goes beyond boosting production to addressing public health concerns,” he said.
He lamented that “anthrax” and other “zoonotic” infections pose threats to humans when hygiene standards are compromised.
“So, we are training them on safe hygiene so the meat we consume is healthy. Health is wealth, and that is why governments, with support from the bank, are committed to this programme,” Akinola added.
He urged participants to take the training seriously and apply the knowledge gained, noting that improved hygiene would enhance productivity and attract more customers.
The commissioner also said the state was would establish a traceability system to monitor animals from entry to slaughter, ensuring only those that meet standards are processed for consumption.
National Project Coordinator, Sanusi Abubakar, said the training aligns with international safety requirements and will unlock opportunities for our meat in markets abroad.
Abubakar, represented by the project’s Livestock Value Chain Consultant, Mrs Heather-Ronke Akanni, stressed that meeting global standards in production, processing and packaging was crucial for accessing international markets.
She noted that the workshop was aimed at adding value to existing practices, improving technique, and opening new market opportunities for butchers and processors.
“We want to upscale what they are doing so it can meet international standards. This is not only for local consumption but also for export,” she said.
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The Ondo State Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Mr Olufemi Adeogun, said the training was part of deliberate efforts to improve hygiene across the meat value chain and would be replicated in the Northern and Southern Senatorial Districts of the state.
According to him, poor hygiene practices among meat handlers pose serious risks to public health.
“If something is wrong with what we eat, it will affect our health. That is why participants are expected to apply what they have learnt here in their workplaces,” Adeogun said.
The Lead Consultant and Resource Person, Mr Rotimi Olaoluwa of Sailance International, trained participants on Good Hygiene Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
He emphasised personal hygiene, safe water use, proper cleaning methods, pest control, waste disposal, and regular health screening, noting that contaminated environments directly affect meat safety.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Butchers, Ondo State chapter, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde, commended the initiative and urged butchers and slaughterhouse operators to comply strictly with environmental and health regulations.
Ayinde, however, said adherence to approved standards would protect public health, improve the image of the butchers’ profession, and boost public confidence in meat sold across the state.