Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's General Customs Authority on Thursday returned ashipment of imported calves from Jordan after laboratory tests confirmed casesof foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
The authority said the customs center administration hadtaken the necessary legal measures and formed a committee comprisingrepresentatives of relevant agencies to oversee the return of the shipment toJordan. The move was in line with approved technical recommendations to preventthe spread of infectious animal diseases and protecting Iraq's livestock sectorand food security.
On June 17, Agriculture Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammariordered a ban on the entry of 1,750 live calves imported for slaughter.
Iraq's Veterinary Directorate tightened preventive measuresafter reports of FMD cases in Syria's Raqqa province last month, raisedepidemiological surveillance to its highest level, and instructed veterinaryhospitals at border crossings and across the country to intensify inspectionsof incoming livestock and immediately report any suspected infections.
