Govt vaccinates 5m livestock to ensure healthy meat, dairy products

Dr Mustapha Gaidam, the Programme Manager, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

He said, “Yobe government through the mass annual vaccination has inoculated over 5.6 million herds of cattle, sheep, goat and dogs against trans boundary diseases in the last seven years.

“The animals were vaccinated against Contagious Bovine Pluro Pneumonia (CBPP), Black Quarter (BQ) and Pest Petit Ruminants (PPR) and Anti-Rabies (AR).

“This has grossly reduced animal’s transmission of diseases through meat and dairy products to humans.

“I can say without fear of contradiction that Yobe is a leading state in production and consumption of safe and healthy meat and dairy products in Nigeria” .

The official said that the state government introduced a lot of incentives including free vaccination and routine clinical treatment of livestock in zonal and area veterinary offices across the state.

Gaidam told NAN that the government also constructed boreholes to provide livestock with clean and healthy water as well as demarcation of stock routes to avert farmers/herdsmen conflicts.

According to him, the programme has developed a pilot fodder bank, growing varieties of grass species like Nappier, Lab-Lab and Centrosema seeds to improve animal feeds in the state.

He said that the technology will be transferred to local livestock farmers to boost production of nutritious and healthy feeds to increase the quality and quantity of meat and dairy production in the state.