More Nigerian agricultural produce will be acceptable to the EU - NAQS

The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) on Thursday announced new measures to ensure that more of Nigeria’s agricultural produce meet the European Union(EU)’s standards.

Mr Christopher Onukwuba, NAQS’s Head, Department of Collaboration, Planning and Partnership, made this known in Lagos. He said that the EU’s recent extension of its ban on Nigerian beans had called for the need for the NAQS and other product regulatory agencies to redouble their efforts.

''The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service is currently doing a lot to make more Nigerian agricultural produce acceptable to the European countries. With the EU’s extension of its ban on Nigerian beans, Nigerian products regulatory agencies are prepared to ensure that agricultural produce from Nigeria meets the required EU standards''

NBCC calls for speedy passage of Food Safety bill

Worried by the repeated banning of some Nigerian agricultural produce from European countries, the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) on Wednesday called for the speedy passage of Nigeria’s Food Safety Bill.

NBCC’s President, Mr Tunde Okoya, made the call in Lagos at the organisation’s Breakfast Meeting, saying it was imperative for the National Assembly to expedite action in the passage of the bill.

EU Extends ban to three years on Nigerian brown beans.

The European Union (EU) has extended its ban on importation of dried beans from Nigeria by three years, the Coordinating Director, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe, has said.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday, Dr Isegbe lamented that the extension came when the federal government and its relevant agencies were working to ensure that the June dateline to lift the ban was met.

Requirements for the importation of animals and animal products

Do you intend to import Animals or Animal Products?

Listed below are the essential requirements for the importation of animals and animal products into Nigeria.

Frequently Asked Questions, Animal Quarantine Department (FAQs)

1. How can I import animals e.g dogs into Nigeria?

    Ans:

• Import permit form is obtained from Chief Veterinary Officer's (CVO's) office.
• The form is filled by the authorized veterinarian of the importing country
• The duly filled form is returned to the CVO with the entire relevant requirement
• The CVO issues the import permit and notify NAQS.
  

Aquatic Resources Quarantine

The aquatic resources arm of NAQS applies sanitary measures to prevent the entry of foreign exotic pests, pathogens and diseases of aquatic resources through international boundaries or by travelers while also preventing their dissemination across, through export trade, by adhering to international standards and protocols under WTO/OIE/SPS agreements through these functions.

Plant Quarantine

This department of NAQS protects the cultivated crops and the natural flora from destructive foreign plant pests.

It also ensures that our agricultural exports meets international standard set by IPPC and WTO/SPS Agreement and specific phytosanitary requirements of countries importing plants, plant products and other regulated articles from Nigeria. 

Animal Quarantine Department

The veterinary arm of NAQS performs the following quarantine services:

• Health Inspection of export and import if live animals including dogs, cattle, cats, horses, sheep, goats, turkey, poulets/old chicks, eggs, parent stock and pet birds.
• Verification of import and export permits issued by the office of the Director, Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services for the importation/exportation of animals and their products.
• Authentication of international veterinary certificate accompanying imported animals and their products (e.g tallow, horn and hooves, blood meal, hatchable eggs, milk etc.)
• Conduct of surveillance to determine the presence of contagious animals and zoonotic diseases.

Brown Beans Suspension by The European Union (EU) Ccommission

Recently, the European Union (EU) suspended the export of some of the Nigerian agricultural products into the members’ countries.

The ban exposes the loopholes in our regulatory mechanisms and government’s failure to equip the relevant body certifying the nation’s agro products for exports amidst porous borders exploited by smugglers. One of the rejected products that have been in the news in recent times is the nation’s dried brown beans suspended till June 30, 2016.