LAGOS URGES OPERATORS IN MEAT VALUE CHAIN TO EMBRACE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Lagos State Government, on Thursday, urged owners and operators of Slaughter Houses as well as Abattoirs to embrace the process of circular economy, where waste generated in abattoirs will be converted into other uses, tackle challenges similar to those experienced globally.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, made the call during a workshop on Environmental Management in Abattoirs and Slaughter Houses in Lagos State with the theme:”Circular Economy: Conversion of Abattoir Waste to Wealth”, held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alausa, Ikeja.
Bello, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Gaji, said the initiative will help in tackling global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and pollution, among others.
He observed that operators of abattoirs and slaughterhouses often have difficulties in disposing, treating and processing the waste generated in an environmentally acceptable manner, thereby allowing untreated wastewater to eventually find its way into the natural water bodies.
The Commissioner stated that poor handling of other wastes such as the cow dung, bones, blood and others result in environmental degradation and pollution, adding that biodiversity loss affects the food chain and oxygen demand of natural water bodies due to the promotion of bacterial growth, thereby depriving other aquatic organisms of the much-needed oxygen for survival.
Explaining that the accumulation of cow dung, paunch contents and bones would encourage the build-up of methane gas that causes depletion of the ozone layer and invariably global warming, Bello maintained that the consequence of the poor management of waste from the operations of the abattoir facilities constitutes a high risk to the sustainability of the environment as well as public health.
He averred that the Sanwo-Olu administration is committed to environmental issues and considers it a priority in its policy thrust.
The Commissioner said the destructive action on the environment needs to be reversed with utmost urgency and everyone has a role to play in stopping unsafe practices that negatively impact on the environment by imbibing more sustainable practices.
Earlier in his welcome address, the representative of the Permanent Secretary and Director of Sanitation Services Department in the Ministry, Dr. Hassan Sanuth, said the workshop was designed to educate and encourage participants to adopt the best available methods in the management of operational byproducts and eliminate the negative impacts of abattoir operations on the environment.
He charged the participants to make efforts to ensure that the environment that would be bequeathed to the future generations remains livable.
In her lecture, the Guest Lecturer, Dr. Margret Owolabi, spoke on the topic: “Converting Bone And Blood to Viable Products”, saying that cow blood is very high in Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Calcium.
She pointed out that animal blood can be used as fertilizer and mixed with animal feed while the bone is also made into Gelatin, Glue and bone meal, encouraging abattoir operators to collaborate with investors for high-tech value addition for local and export purposes.
Dr. Owolabi also established that efficient treatment of animal by-products encourages rapid hygienic disposal of waste and, therefore, prevents decomposition and formation of obnoxious odour.
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PIX 9993: (L-R) Director, Sanitation Services Department, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Hassan Sanuth; Guest lecturer from Lagos Animal Care and Livestock Diagnostic Laboratory, Dr. Margaret Owolabi; Representative of the Honourable Commissioner for The Environment and Water Resources and Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Omobolaji Gaji; and other dignitaries at the Environmental Management workshop on abattoirs and slaughterhouse in Lagos State, held at Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alausa.
