FG to digitally tag livestock, tightens crackdown on cattle rustling

By Abubakar Yunus

The Federal Government has announced plans to commence the digital registration and tagging of all cattle, sheep and goats across the country as part of measures to curb cattle rustling, improve livestock traceability and boost Nigeria’s access to international livestock markets.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Wednesday while declaring open the national conference of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Abuja.
The conference was themed, “Strengthening Peaceful Pastoralism, Livestock Transformation and National Development.”
Maiha said the initiative, under the National Animal Identification Project, would require every livestock owner to register and tag their animals to establish ownership and facilitate tracking.
He said, “The ministry will soon commence the digital registration and tagging of all cattle, sheep and goats that will enable identification and tracing of the animals.”
According to him, the programme will improve animal health standards, enhance access to international red meat markets and tackle cattle rustling and farmer-herder conflicts.
“While this initiative is launched, all livestock owners will be expected to register and tag every cow, bull, sheep and goat. This is what we need to do to prove ownership and trace animals that have been lost or stolen,” he said.
The minister lamented that the absence of a reliable ownership system had made cattle theft difficult to combat.
“Today, there is no proof of ownership. Once the system is in place, we can locate stolen cattle through telephone and other digital platforms, recover them and prosecute those responsible,” he stated.
Maiha further revealed that the government would make ear tags and microchips compulsory for all livestock.
“In the not-too-distant future, all four-legged animals will carry ear tags and microchips for geolocation and proof of ownership. No animal will be transported to any livestock market, abattoir or slaughter slab without an ear tag or proof of ownership,” he added.
He also urged pastoralists to embrace sedentary livestock production, saying traditional open grazing had become increasingly unsustainable due to population growth and environmental pressures.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had begun implementing its national ranching policy with a pilot scheme at the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau State.
According to him, the policy is designed to accommodate different livestock production models across the country while creating investment opportunities for pastoralists.
Maiha appealed to MACBAN and other pastoral associations to mobilise livestock owners to support the ministry’s reforms.
“There are enormous opportunities in the industry, and these can only be realised when all stakeholders participate,” he said.