Prof. David Apata of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, has advocated development of feed safety standards as a form of fundamental component of policy measure to support the feed industry.
Apata made the call on Wednesday at the institution’s 7th Inaugural Lecture titled ‘Feed is Good, Toxicants the Bane’.
The Professor of Animal Nutrition and Feed Toxicology said that the contaminants in ingredients used for feed production should be developed for different species of animals.
He added that operators in the industry needed to comply with the safety limits and strictly implement NIAS feed regulations to enable high level performance.
“This will be done through the use of consistent quality feeds that ensure marketing of feeds to meet international standard.
”Feed safety should be a vital part of the Animal proper knowledge of undesirable substances in feeds,” the don said.
Apata said that simple equipment for rapid detection of harmful substances should be produced to monitor and ensure feeding safe feedstuffs to livestock.
To achieve this, Apata said the engineers were challenged to design appropriate instruments in conjunction with nutritional biochemists to test for feed toxicants.
“Interdisciplinary researches should be encouraged to develop efficient and effective post harvest detoxification procedures to remove the heat-stable.
“Presently, there are feedstuffs like moringa seed meal, soybean and other feed sources of interest in Nigeria.
”There is a need for synergy among engineers, nutritionists and toxicologists, to ensure that the existing commercial feed mills are equipped with detoxification facilities, for effective treatment in alleviating inadequate feed supply,” he said.
The professor also suggested for provision of security by the government, saying that the farmer-herder conflict had become Nigeria’s security challenge, which needs urgent action.
