Stakeholders from civil society, research institutions, and international organisations have raised alarm over the growing incursion of multinational corporations into Nigeria’s meat production sector, warning of serious implications for food sovereignty, public health, and the environment.
The concerns were voiced during a media workshop yesterday in Abuja by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF). Participants examined the dangers of industrial-scale animal agriculture on local communities and Nigeria’s food system.
Speaking at the event, Joyce Okeogene Brown, Director of Programmes at HOMEF, criticised multinational meat giants such as JBS for acquiring vast tracts of land across the country.
She cited Niger State’s offer of 1.2 million hectares of land as a striking example, warning that such acquisitions threaten to displace smallholder farmers and pastoralists who currently sustain the nation’s food supply.
“Industrial farming projects often lead to the loss of grazing and farmland for local communities. Most of the meat produced is destined for export, not to meet local food needs,” Brown noted.
She added that findings from a study presented by the HIDA Resource Centre revealed that communities in Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Benue States are not benefitting from promised employment opportunities. Instead, locals are relegated to menial jobs while skilled positions go to outsiders.
The report also highlighted farmland loss, water contamination, and chemical pollution associated with industrial livestock operations.
Brown stressed that Nigeria must prioritise its smallholder farmers, who contribute more than 70 per cent of its food.
“Rather than ceding control of our food system to foreign corporations driven by profit, the government should strengthen local farmers who are already feeding the nation,” she said.
Adding a global perspective, Dr Patrick Mwinde of World Animal Protection warned of the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance caused by the widespread use of antibiotics in industrial livestock production.
“Already, 1.27 million people die annually from untreatable infections. Without urgent action, this number could reach 10 million by 2050,” Mwinde cautioned.
He noted that industrial farms rely heavily on herbicides and fertilisers that pollute water bodies and degrade soil, leaving surrounding communities vulnerable to toxic runoff.
“These companies externalise their costs, maximising profit while communities pay the price with their health and environment,” he added.
Mariann Bassey Olsson, Coordinator of the Food Sovereignty Programme for Nigeria and Africa at Friends of the Earth, emphasised the difference between food security and food sovereignty, underscoring that sovereignty is Nigeria’s only path to sustainable farming.
“Food sovereignty means Nigerians should eat what is locally sourced and produced, in the quality and quantity they desire, not just any food,” Olsson explained.
She maintained that Nigeria can feed itself, Africa, and beyond if the government invests in infrastructure, addresses insecurity, and supports smallholder farmers.
At the end of the workshop, stakeholders urged the Nigerian government to protect smallholder farmers and livestock producers who provide the bulk of the nation’s food, halt large-scale land concessions to multinational corporations, invest in rural infrastructure and security to support local production, and enforce environmental regulations to ensure polluters bear the cost of cleanup.
Source: This Day
Image Credit: HOMEF
