Veterinary Public Health Role in Markets and Slaughterhouses in Lagos State: Gaps and Improvement Strategies

This study evaluates the veterinary public health (VPH) functions performed in livestock markets and slaughterhouses across Lagos State, located in Nigeria's South West geopolitical zone, and identifies gaps requiring professional and systemic improvement. Lagos State, as Nigeria's largest urban centre and commercial hub, handles enormous volumes of food animals and animal products daily, making VPH system performance a critical determinant of meat safety and zoonotic disease control. Using a professional practice assessment design, structured interviews were conducted with 35 veterinary officers, 20 meat inspectors, and 15 market regulatory officials across 10 major markets and five registered slaughterhouses in Lagos State. Observational checklists assessed compliance with ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection procedures, market hygiene standards, and zoonotic disease reporting protocols. Condemnation records from 2021 to 2023 were reviewed. Findings revealed that systematic ante-mortem inspection was performed in only 40 percent of observed slaughter operations, and post-mortem lymph node examination was conducted in fewer than 25 percent of carcasses. Veterinary officer-to-slaughter throughput ratios exceeded recommended staffing norms by a factor of three in most facilities. Zoonotic disease reporting to public health authorities occurred in fewer than 10 percent of documented cases meeting clinical reporting criteria. Recommendations include urgent veterinary staffing recruitment, digital condemnation records, standardised inspection protocols, and formalised zoonosis reporting pathways between state veterinary and public health services. Keywords: veterinary public health, Lagos State, slaughterhouse, meat inspection, zoonosis.