The poultry waste dumpsites of Idi Ayunre and environs: Reservoirs and distributors of disease-causing antibiotic resistant pathogens

Poultry business is a major contributor to Nigeria’s economy and source of meats and eggs for domestic and commercial purposes. A 2018 FAO report estimated over 180 million birds mostly in semi-intensive and intensive farms, and Netherlands Enterprise Agency’s recent report says they contribute approximately 25% to Nigeria’s agricultural GDP.

This increasing economic importance of poultry farms, which could be said to be partially fuelled by antibiotic usage for health and weight gain, also leads to concomitant increase in poultry waste (litter) generated and disposed of into the environment. While antibiotic usage cannot be quantified without hard evidence, its effect can be tracked in poultry litter, as evident in Idi Ayunre town and its several adjoining communities.