Veterinary Public Health Challenges in Informal Pig Slaughter in Akwa Ibom State, South South Nigeria

This study examines the veterinary public health risks associated with informal pig slaughter practices in Akwa Ibom State, located in Nigeria's South South geopolitical zone. Pig production and pork consumption are economically important activities in Akwa Ibom, yet a significant proportion of pigs are slaughtered outside licensed abattoir facilities, circumventing meat inspection and creating food safety and zoonotic disease risks. Using a mixed-methods design, 80 informal pig slaughter operators were interviewed across five urban and peri-urban communities in three local government areas, and 120 pork samples from informal slaughter points were microbiologically analysed for Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and total coliform count. Abattoir inspection records were reviewed as a comparative baseline. Findings revealed that 100 percent of informal slaughter operations lacked ante-mortem inspection, while post-mortem examination was performed in fewer than 5 percent of cases. Pathological conditions including pneumonia, hepatitis, and cysticercosis lesions were observed in animals presented for informal slaughter. Bacteriological analysis revealed Salmonella in 18 percent and Staphylococcus aureus in 44 percent of pork samples from informal sources, compared to 7 and 21 percent respectively in formally inspected pork. The study recommends regulatory reform to extend veterinary oversight to peri-urban pig slaughter, mobile inspection units, and public education on the risks of consuming uninspected pork. Keywords: informal slaughter, pig, food safety, Akwa Ibom, veterinary public health.