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The role of biosecurity at farm level is to reduce the risk of introduction of diseases in pig farms and prevent the disease transmission between animals on farms. It is an important management practice that impacts the profitability of pig production ventures. A survey was conducted to assess the biosecurity practices in 50 farms in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, using a structured questionnaire and assessments through direct observations. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and tables were used to analyse and present data generated. The results revealed that majority of the farms were semi-intensive (54%), small scale producers keeping between 1 and 50 pigs formed 96% of surveyed farms and essentially raising indigenous and crossbreed (72%). Only 12% of the farms were fenced and had gates closed to control unwanted visitors and stray animals. Most of the farms (76%) had no footbaths indicating that the risk of disease introduction was high in such farms. The use of protective clothings and foot wears by employees was only observed on 24% of the farms. Isolation of sick animal was practiced by 38% of respondents while 24% of respondents quarantined new animals to the farm. The use of disinfectants to clean the barns was practiced on 18% of the farms. Overall, there was a low level of farm biosecurity in the study area. Extension services to create awareness on the importance of biosecurity would help limit infections and boost pig production and profitability.

The study assessed challenges of poultry production in Makurdi Area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria. Information on production activities, management and problems were collected from 50 poultry farmers in the study area using structured questionnaire and assessment through direct observations. The data were analyzed using tables, frequency distribution and percentages. From the analysis, the poultry enterprises are confronted with a number of constraints mitigating against their efficient operation. Majority (66%) of the poultry farms in Makurdi were of low to medium scale with flock size of < 1000 birds. The problems of low capital, high input costs, diseases and adverse weather conditions were identified in the study area. High cost of feeds and at times scarcity of layer feeds are major problems. They also identified proper marketing outlets especially for broiler sales. All these problems can be tackled by making loans/grants easily accessible by the government and encouraging farmers to organise themselves into cooperatives. By so doing their resources can be pooled together for meaningful development of their farms and the poultry industry in Benue State. Extension services should include creating awareness of the importance of biosecurity measures on farms in order to limit infections.

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