Status of Abattoir Wastes Research in Nigeria

Abstract

Literature review was done to investigate the potential of abattoir wastes to befoul the environment, or cause hazards to human health, and harm to living resources and ecological systems. Abattoir wastes include animal blood, horns, bones, animal feaces, paunch manure, and abattoir effluent. The review result shows that abattoir wastes have the potential to pollute surface waters, underground waters, abattoir/market environment, and consumables around the abattoir, especially when abattoir wastes are not properly treated and disposed off. Abattoir wastes should be managed to achieve allowable effluent standards, odour control, or to exploit the benefits locking in the wastes before safely and economically disposing the ultimate wastes. In order to develop optimized abattoir wastes management strategies that would ensure reduction in environmental pollution in Nigeria, this paper proposes some research considerations on the pollution potential of abattoir wastes in Nigeria. The paper aims at stimulating increased research in the area of abattoir wastes management in Nigeria in order to avoid the dangerous consequences of poorly managed abattoir wastes.