The Lagos State Government has taken giant steps towards revamping the process of selling red meat in the metropolis by ensuring proper hygiene before the product gets to the final consumers.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya disclosed this today in Alausa at the launching of the last Mile Meat Shops and Butchers Academy.
In her address at the event held at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, she said that the initiative was designed to give residents confidence in what they consume while also making it look presentable with standard facilities to encourage and attract youths into the space.
The Commissioner further noted that the essence of the initiative was for residents to embrace butchery and correct the erroneous impression that the profession is reserved for the unenlightened, noting that the 20 feet containers were designed as a pilot scheme for the initiative and can be easily transferred from one location to another.
According to her, each meat shop is to be manned by four youths allocated a cow slaughtered at approved government abbatoirs and brought to them under hygienic conditions and processes.
She therefore called for collaboration with the private sector to enlarge the scheme, noting that they have started with 20-foot containers and hope to increase it soon to 40ft.
Going back memory lane, Ms. Olusanya explained that the initiative was part of the Lagos State Agriculture Roadmap, adding that the initial plan was to have 20 for a start but was cut to 5 in the pilot scheme.
According to her, the overhauling in the transportation sector led to the introduction of Eko Meat Van which ended the era of conveying meat through unwholesome practices.
On his part, the Chairman Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Hon Emmanuel Olotu commended the Ministry for introducing ideas that will bring food and comfort to the doorsteps of residents. He urged the Butchers Association to ensure that they put into practice what they learnt during training at the Butchers Academy.
The Chairman House Committee on Agriculture stressed that the Butchers must realise the fact that they are attending to over 20 million residents and should be wary of what they pass on to them.
While adding his voice, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola said that the initiative was a quality-control measure in the state to give value for money. He assured that all the Meat Shops will sell in Kilograms by weight for uniformity purposes.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Emmanuel Audu described the event as groundbreaking, noting that issues around meat consumption are important for human existence. He also disclosed that food safety cannot be overlooked, recalling that COVID-19 had its root in an animal market in China.
The Permanent Secretary further said that the initiative was to assist in value chains in meat distribution as safety and quality are being addressed with the launch.
Emmanuel Audu concluded that the Last Mile Meat Shops was a new dimension, especially with youth involvement in the process and hopes the project will receive full acceptance by Lagos residents.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of Butchers Association, Alhaji Kazeem Bakare thanked the Lagos State Government for initiating the project, describing it as very innovative and ideal.
According to him, the Butchers Association will embrace the new idea for the safe handling of cow meat in the state, promising that it will bring back some of the members who have left the job for Okada and Marwa.
Alhaji Kazeem Bakare urged other states in the country to embrace innovation to restore sanity to the handling of meat among their residents.
The Last Mile Meat Shops are located in Ijeh area of Dolphin Estate, Surulere and Mushin.