The Lagos State Government has taken significant steps towards revamping the process of selling red meat in the metropolis by ensuring proper hygiene before the product reaches the final consumers.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, disclosed this in Alausa at the launch of the Last Mile Meat Shops and Butchers Academy.
She stated that the initiative aims to give residents confidence in what they consume while making it presentable with standard facilities to encourage youth participation in the industry.
The commissioner further emphasized that the essence of the initiative is for residents to embrace butchery and to correct the erroneous impression that the profession is reserved for the illiterate.
Olusanya noted that the 20-foot containers designed for the pilot scheme can be easily transferred from one location to another.
According to her, each meat shop will be manned by four people, allocated a cow slaughtered at Agege Abattoir and brought to them in a hygienic manner.
She therefore called for collaboration with the private sector to expand the scheme, noting that they have started with 20-foot containers and hope to increase to 40-foot containers soon.
Reflecting on the initiative’s history, Abisola Olusanya explained that it is part of the 2021 Agriculture Roadmap. Initially, the plan was to have 20 meat shops, but this was reduced to five for the pilot scheme.
She mentioned that the journey towards overhauling the ministry began during the tenure of the former Commissioner and now the Oba of Oniru Land, Oba Gbolahan Lawal.
According to her, the overhaul in the transportation sector led to the introduction of the Eko Meat Van, ending the era of conveying meat through unwholesome practices.
She also pointed out that the cattle feed lot in Lagos is ongoing and is part of the promise made by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led government, which will be delivered soon.
On his part, the Chairman of the Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Olotu Ojo Emmanuel, commended the ministry for introducing ideas that will bring food and comfort to the doorsteps of residents.
He urged the Butchers Association to ensure they put into practice what they learned during training at the Butchers Academy.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture stressed that the butchers must realize they are serving over twenty million residents and should be cautious about the quality of what they provide.
Adding his voice, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, said that the initiative was a quality control measure to give value for money.
He assured that all the meat shops would sell by the kilogram for uniformity.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Emmanuel Audu, described the event as groundbreaking, emphasizing that issues around meat consumption are important for human existence.
He also disclosed that food safety cannot be overlooked, recalling that the origins of COVID-19 in China were linked to unhygienic food handling practices.
The Permanent Secretary further said that the initiative was to assist in value chains in meat distribution, addressing safety and quality with the launch.
Emmanuel Audu concluded that the Last Mile Meat Shops represent a new dimension, especially with youth involvement in the process, and expressed hope that the project will receive full acceptance by Lagos residents.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of Butchers Association, Alhaji Kazeem Bakare, thanked the Lagos State Government for initiating the project, describing it as an innovation for his members.
He said that the nature and value of cows slaughtered now are different from those many years back.
According to him, the Butchers Association will embrace the new idea for safe handling of cow meat in the state, promising that it will bring back some members who have left the job for Okada and Marwa.
Alhaji Kazeem Bakare urged other states in the country to embrace the innovation to restore sanity in meat handling among their residents.
The Managing Director of Palilar Pal Meat International, Apostle Olawale Talabi, appreciated the Governor for the opportunity, adding that the vision of the Commissioner is coming to fruition.
He believes that the measure will guarantee high hygienic standards for the sale of meat to consumers in the state and allow the butchers to earn more money.
Apostle Talabi further said that there is a huge market for cow meat in Lagos, noting that over 2,500 cows are slaughtered daily.
He disclosed that plans are underway to have Meat Shops across the metropolis.
The Last Mile Meat Shops are located in the Ijeh area of Dolphin Estate, Surulere, and Mushin.
