By Ese Ufuoma
Every egg on a supermarket shelf and every chicken sold in an open market begins its journey on a poultry farm.
Long before it reaches a family’s kitchen, it passes through hatcheries, feed mills, poultry houses, veterinary inspections, transporters and traders. It is a chain that employs millions of people and feeds millions more. Most consumers never think about that journey. They simply buy what they need and move on.
But it takes only one infected bird to interrupt that entire chain. Not overnight. Sometimes the warning comes quietly. A drop in feed intake. Fewer eggs. A handful of unexplained deaths. Then the losses gather speed, spreading from pen to pen until weeks, and sometimes years, of investment disappear in a matter of days.
That is how bird flu announces itself. It has done so before in Nigeria. The country first confronted Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2006, when the virus was confirmed on a commercial poultry farm in Kaduna State. What initially appeared to be an isolated animal health problem quickly developed into one of the biggest disease outbreaks the country’s livestock industry had ever experienced. Millions of birds were culled in an effort to contain the virus; poultry farmers suffered heavy financial losses, and confidence in the industry was badly shaken.
Nearly two decades later, bird flu remains a recurring threat. Fresh outbreaks continue to be reported from time to time, reminding farmers that the virus never truly disappears. It retreats, reappears and exploits the same weaknesses whenever the opportunity presents itself. Every new case raises old fears, not only because of the birds that could be lost but also because of the wider consequences for food security, rural livelihoods and an industry that has become one of the pillars of Nigeria’s agricultural economy.
Today, poultry is no longer the small-scale activity it once was; across the country, commercial farms produce millions of eggs and broiler chickens each year. The sector has grown into one of Nigeria’s largest livestock industries, supporting hatcheries, feed manufacturers, veterinary clinics, pharmaceutical companies, transport businesses, processors, cold chain operators and market traders. For many households, poultry is also the most affordable source of animal protein.
That growth has brought opportunity; it has also increased the stakes. A disease outbreak on one farm no longer affects only the farmer. It can disrupt the supply of eggs and poultry meat, push up food prices, threaten jobs across the value chain and discourage investment in an industry that already faces rising production costs. Feed remains expensive, access to finance is limited for many producers and inflation continues to squeeze profit margins. Another widespread outbreak would add fresh pressure to businesses that are already struggling to stay afloat.
Unlike many livestock diseases, bird flu is particularly difficult to ignore because of how quickly it can spread. The virus occurs naturally in wild birds, especially migratory waterfowl, which often carry it without showing obvious signs of illness. As these birds move across continents, they can introduce the virus into domestic poultry through contaminated water, feed or direct contact. Once it enters a poorly protected farm, the consequences can be devastating. This is why biosecurity has become one of the most repeated words in poultry production.
To some farmers, it means restricting visitors from entering poultry houses. To others, it means disinfecting vehicles, equipment and footwear before they come into contact with birds. It also involves separating domestic flocks from wild birds, maintaining good hygiene and reporting unusual deaths before they become an outbreak.
The measures sound simple; putting them into practice every day is much harder. Large commercial farms often have the resources to enforce strict biosecurity protocols. Smaller producers, who make up a significant portion of Nigeria’s poultry industry, frequently operate with tighter budgets and fewer technical resources. For them, investing in disease prevention can be difficult, especially at a time when feed prices, energy costs and the price of day-old chicks continue to rise.
Government agencies have strengthened surveillance since the first outbreak in 2006. Veterinary authorities now monitor suspected cases more closely, while laboratory capacity and disease reporting systems have improved. Awareness campaigns have also helped farmers recognise the early signs of infection and understand the importance of reporting suspicious cases instead of attempting to manage outbreaks quietly.
Yet preparedness is not measured only by the speed of government response. It also depends on what happens before the virus arrives. It depends on whether farms maintain proper biosecurity even when there is no outbreak. It depends on whether transporters disinfect their vehicles, whether traders follow movement restrictions and whether farmers report unusual deaths without fear of losing their livelihoods.
These are the small decisions that often determine whether a single infected bird becomes a national problem. Nigeria’s poultry industry has survived disease outbreaks before. It has also survived soaring feed costs, currency pressures and supply chain disruptions. Each crisis has forced the sector to adapt, invest and rebuild. But bird flu presents a different kind of challenge because it cannot be negotiated with or priced into a business plan. It demands constant vigilance.
The return of the virus is therefore more than another animal health story. It is a test of how well Nigeria has learnt from the past; the country knows what bird flu can do.