Niger is an adequate performer under the VACI (on par with Indonesia and Ethiopia), despite having limited legal protections for animals.
Niger is an adequate performer under the VACI (on par with Indonesia and Ethiopia), despite having limited legal protections for animals.
Niger slaughters around 1.4 land-based animals per person / year, which is less than a fifth of the global average of 9.7. The country’s dependency on farm animals is also low, with around 3.1 farm animals per person (compared with a global average of around 4). Farm production is typically small-scale and extensive, using local breeds.
The Nigerien diet contains a low proportion of animal products, with around 17.4% of the average Nigerien’s diet being made up of land-based animal protein (compared with a global average of 35.2%). This equates to each person consuming around 13.9g of land-based animal protein per day (compared with a global average of 26.7g). According to the World Bank, around 49% of the population was living under the national poverty line as at 2011.
Niger was given an “F” under the Animal Protection Index (API), and is also a poor performer under the Sanctioning Cruelty category. While Niger has basic animal protection laws, according to the API, they are inadequate in many respects. For example, the laws apply only to domesticated animal, and not to wild animals (whether in captivity or otherwise). Learn more about the quality of Niger’s legislative protections on the API here.