The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has called on crop farmers to stop applying toxic agrochemicals and pesticides to their fields, warning that the practice is killing livestock and heightening the risk of conflict between herders and farmers.
In a statement, the association said cattle that graze on treated farmlands have been dying after consuming poisoned crops. MACBAN cited recent cases in which animals collapsed and died after feeding on land sprayed with heavy doses of pesticides and other chemicals. The group stressed that the losses threaten the livelihoods of pastoralists and are deepening divisions in rural communities already strained by competition over land and resources.
MACBAN appealed for restraint and dialogue, arguing that the continued use of such chemicals endangers livestock and undermines peaceful coexistence. The association urged farmers to consider safer alternatives that protect both crops and grazing animals.
Crop farmers, however, have pushed back against the call. They maintain that intensive chemical application is necessary to safeguard their harvests and to discourage open grazing that often destroys cultivated fields. Many say the measures are a defensive response to repeated losses caused by roaming cattle.
The exchange highlights the ongoing friction between farming and herding communities, where disputes over land use, crop damage, and livestock safety continue to fuel tension across parts of the country.
To prevent Cattles death They should not graze on crops.