The Ekiti State Government has trained 100 livestock and veterinary officers on disease prevention and management as part of efforts to protect animal health and strengthen food safety across the state.
The three-day capacity-building seminar, organised under the Ekiti Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) was themed: “Effective and Livestock Pest Management and Control: Biosecurity, Udder Health and Herd Health.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Ado-Ekiti, Commissioner for Agriculture, Ebenezer Boluwade, said the training was designed to prevent possible livestock disease outbreaks as the state experiences a steady expansion in its livestock industry.
Boluwade emphasised that maintaining international standards in livestock production was critical to ensuring food safety and protecting public health.
“Animal health is essential to human health because whatever you eat is what you become. “Many farmers use drugs and vitamins without following proper procedures, and that often leads to problems. Prevention, just like in biosecurity, is always better than cure.”
The commissioner explained that the participants comprising animal health officers, veterinary doctors, and livestock officers would cascade the training to farmers and livestock owners across all local government areas.
Boluwade noted that simple hygiene and access control measures such as foot dips, controlled farm entry, and limiting visits to multiple farms in a day could go a long way in preventing zoonotic disease transmission between humans and animals.
The State Project Coordinator of Ekiti L-PRES, Olayinka Adedipe, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting animal health as part of its broader goal of ensuring food safety and environmental sustainability.
He stated that the training would help strengthen disease surveillance, improve livestock management practices, and prevent the spread of infections among both large and small ruminants.
“Our focus is to ensure that only healthy animals enter the food chain. Healthy livestock guarantee safe meat for human consumption and reduce the risk of zoonotic outbreaks in our communities.”
