The Federal Government is moving to reform Nigeria’s meat production system by making controlled slaughtering and modern processing facilities central to the livestock value chain.

Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said the planned reforms would eventually eliminate the slaughter of animals in uncontrolled locations and improve the quality, safety and traceability of meat produced in the country.

Maiha spoke in Kaduna on Thursday during the launch of Olam Agri’s TruValue Cattle Feed, where he outlined the government’s plans to strengthen infrastructure across the livestock sector.

Under the proposed system, animals destined for slaughter would be required to pass through feedlots and approved abattoirs, with standards introduced to regulate the process. The minister said the requirements would cover cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, camels and other livestock.

“We are going to sustain the tempo to ensure that in the not too distant future, we will stop trading in live animals, and every slaughtered animal in this country must be done under the controlled environment of a modern abattoir,” Maiha said.

Maiha said the government is also expanding slaughtering capacity, with projects already initiated in different locations. He noted that an Abuja facility currently under construction is designed to handle 1,000 bulls and 3,000 small ruminants every day.

The minister said the government’s broader plan was to establish a more organised meat industry, supported by feedlots, processing facilities and cold-storage systems capable of maintaining the quality of meat from production to the point of sale.