From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has stressed the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as key to enhancing animal production and traceability in the country.
The Minister, who was responding to a team of livestock production specialists from Protein Trail Limited who paid him a working visit in his office, noted that appropriate ICT data and relevant applications capturing the history of the animals are what is needed to close the gap in managing animal health and traceability in line with global best practices.
The Minister, while assuring the team of the Ministry’s full support in terms of acquisition of land for ranching, feed and fodder, and breed improvements, commended the company for their efforts towards transforming the livestock sector.
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In an earlier presentation, the Executive Director of Protein Trail Limited, Olaseni Salako, explained that the new application being developed by his company contains information on animals from birth to slaughter weight, including records of the animals in terms of colour, health history, and vaccination, among others.
“Through the use of the App, the animals can be traced up to the point where they were slaughtered,” Salako maintained.
He said that all animals must be tagged in order to trace where they are coming from and to ensure that they have veterinary certification for disease control.
“We should start tagging our animals and ensure that only standard abattoirs are allowed to slaughter animals.”
This move, he noted, will stop cattle rustling, enhance acceptance in the international market, and help generate revenue via beef exportation.
The Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr Ben Goong, said Salako also stated that the company is working towards developing a quick response code for animal products to enable consumers to know the kind of dairy products they are buying.
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