The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has notified the general public of the outbreak of poison in trade animals that occurred at a local market in the country, emphasizing the dangers of consuming unwholesome meat and other foods of animal origin, especially those contaminated with organophosphate.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, the outbreak was detected at Mandate Cattle Market, located near the College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies at Adewole, Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to the statement, the outcome of the investigation revealed that animals had grazed on the forage that was fumigated with organophosphate chemicals that are found in agricultural products, such as herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides.
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Exposure to organophosphates can be harmful, and poisoning can occur after short- or long-term exposure. It can cause nerve damage and disrupt hormone production in humans and animals.
The agriculture ministry said clinical signs observed in the affected animals were hypersalivation, weakness, and recumbency. On noticing this, the herders decided to slaughter seven of the very weakly affected animals for public consumption.
Mr. Fashedemi said it is important to note, however, that there is a Rapid Response Team (RRT) in every state in Nigeria, made up of the Federal Epidemiology Officer, State Director, Veterinary Services, and State Epidemiology Officer, who have been adequately trained for emergencies such as this.
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“In this particular instance, the RRT in Kwara State, in collaboration with the state government’s task force, swiftly swung into action to trace and confiscate the meat from the slaughtered animal; these were subsequently disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner,” the statement said.
The statement added that 40 suspected poisoned animals were treated with organophosphate antidotes, and they responded with marked improvement in their health, leading to recovery.
